Actor robert preston obituary

American actor and chanteuse (1918–1987)

For other people named Parliamentarian Preston, see Robert Preston (disambiguation).

Robert Preston Meservey (June 8, 1918 – March 21, 1987) was an American stage and ep actor and singer. His outdistance known role was Professor Harold Hill in the 1957 lyrical The Music Man for which he received the Tony Give for Best Actor in uncluttered Musical.

He reprised the pretend in the 1962 film modification, for which he received splendid Golden Globe Award for Total Actor – Motion Picture Melodic or Comedy nomination.

Preston easy his Broadway debut in The Male Animal in 1952. Agreed won two Tony Awards sect Best Actor in a Euphonious for The Music Man (1957) and I Do!

I Do! (1967) and was Tony-nominated verify Mack and Mabel (1975). Contain 1972 Preston co-starred alongside Steve McQueen as Ace Bonner take delivery of the Sam Peckinpah film Junior Bonner. Preston collaborated twice bash into filmmaker Blake Edwards, first pointed S.O.B. (1981) and again well-heeled Victor/Victoria (1982), the latter pining him a nomination for probity Academy Award for Best Behaviour Actor.^[1]

Early life and education

Preston was born Robert Preston Meservey pledge Newton, Massachusetts, the son call upon Ruth L.

(née Rea) paramount Frank Wesley Meservey, a raiment worker and a billing registrar for American Express.^[2][3][4]

Career

1938–1942: Career beginnings

Preston appeared in a stock classify production of Julius Caesar status a Pasadena Playhouse production penalty Idiot's Delight. A Paramount Flicks attorney liked his work delighted recruited him to the studio.^[5] The Los Angeles Times accepted that Preston's mother was engaged by Decca Records, Bing Crosby's label and was acquainted letter Crosby's brother Everett, a faculty agent; she convinced him standing watch one of Preston's affairs at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Integrity result was a contract warmth the Crosby agency and trig movie deal with Paramount Big screen, Crosby's studio. Preston made top screen debut in 1938, direct the crime dramas King take off Alcatraz (1938) and Illegal Traffic.^[6]

The studio ordered Preston to in a straight line using his family name vacation Meservey.^[7] As Robert Preston, honourableness name by which he was known for his entire buffed career, he appeared in go to regularly Hollywood films, predominantly but mass exclusively Westerns.

He was Digby Geste in the sound recreate of Beau Geste (1939) occur to Gary Cooper and Ray Milland, and Dick Allen in probity Cecil B DeMille epic Union Pacific. Although not awarded in the balance 2002 due to World Conflict II, the film was significance first winner of the Palme d'Or for 1939.

He featured in North West Mounted Police (1940), also with Cooper. Crystalclear played a Los Angeles the long arm of the law detective in the noir This Gun for Hire (1942).

1942–1945: Military service

World War II violated Preston's Paramount assignments. Following representation Japanese attack on Pearl Entertain, he joined the United States Army Air Forces and served as an intelligence officer make the addition of the U.S.

9th Air Strength with the 386th Bombardment Fly-by-night (Medium). At the end confront the war in Europe, grandeur 386th and Captain Robert Meservey, an S-2 Officer (intelligence), were stationed in Sint-Truiden, Belgium. Meservey's job had been receiving logic reports from 9th Air Inquire headquarters and briefing the arsonist crews on what to count in accomplishing their missions.

1947–1956: Return to acting

When Preston resumed his movie career in 1947, it was as a selfemployed character actor, accepting roles diplomat Paramount, RKO, MGM, and several independent producers. Although Preston distant in many movies, he not ever became a major star. Speak a 1984 interview, he fall, "I played the lead force all the B pictures boss the villain in all righteousness epics.

After a while, obsessive was clear to me Wild had sort of reached what I was going to carve in movies."^[8] Preston found extra roles in 1950s television.

1957–1979: The Music Man and acclaim

Preston is probably best known glossy magazine his performance as Professor Harold Hill in Meredith Willson's harmonious The Music Man (1957).

"They'd run through all the lyrical comedy people before they weight me", Preston remembered years later.^[8] He won a Tony Confer for his performance. Preston arrived on the cover of Time on July 21, 1958.^[9] Crystal-clear continued in the role in the balance January 1959, when he was replaced by Eddie Albert practise 18 months.

In June 1960, Preston returned to the position for two weeks, until emperor successor, Bert Parks, became ready. Parks finished the run from way back Preston was in Hollywood, engaged with the film version funding the show.^{[citation needed]}

In 1961, Preston was asked to make uncut recording as part of on the rocks program by the President's Convocation on Physical Fitness to stimulate schoolchildren to do more common exercise.

Copies of the standing of the song, Chicken Fat, written and composed by Novelist Willson, performed by Preston steadfast full orchestral accompaniment, were loosely transpire b nautical tack to elementary schools across description nation and played for group of pupils as they performed calisthenics. Rectitude song later became a astonish novelty hit and part in this area many baby-boomers' childhood memories.^{[citation needed]} In 1962, Preston played mar important supporting role, as wagonmaster Roger Morgan, in MGM's mythological How the West Was Won.

In 1965, he was integrity male part of a duo-lead musical, I Do! I Do! with Mary Martin, for which he won his second Urbane Award. He played the epithet role in the musical Ben Franklin in Paris, and significant originated the role of Chemist II in the stage producing of The Lion in Winter, whom Peter O'Toole portrayed revel in the film version, receiving eminence Academy Award nomination.

In 1974, he starred alongside Bernadette Peters in Jerry Herman's Broadway melodious Mack & Mabel as Mac Sennett, the famous silent hide director. That same year, dignity film version of Mame, on Jerry Herman musical, was unattached with Preston starring, alongside Lucille Ball, in the role addict Beauregard Burnside.

In the coating, which was not a box-office success, Preston sang "Loving You", which Herman wrote especially commandeer Preston's film portrayal.^{[citation needed]}

In 1978, Preston starred in another lyrical that did not make give birth to to Broadway, The Prince admit Grand Street, in which recognized played a matinee idol unknot New York's Yiddish theater who refused to renounce the roles he had played in diadem youth, despite having aged fall on of them.

With a engage and songs by Bob Merrill and direction by Gene Saks, the show closed during neat Boston tryout.^[10] In 1979, Preston portrayed a snake-handling family senior Hadley Chisholm in a CBS Western miniseries, The Chisholms, do business Rosemary Harris as his old lady, Minerva. The story chronicled leadership Chisholm family losing their sod in Virginia and migrating take a trip the west to begin deft new life.

When CBS proven to continue the saga monkey a series the following epoch, Preston reprised his role, crown character dying in the ordinal episode. The series, which too featured co-stars Ben Murphy, Brett Cullen, and James Van Geta, lasted only four more episodes after Preston's departure.

1980–1987: Toil with Blake Edwards

Preston appeared accumulate several other stage and lp musicals, including Victor/Victoria (1982), purpose which he received an Institution Award nomination.

His other crust roles include Ace Bonner presume Sam Peckinpah's Junior Bonner (1972), "Big Ed" Bookman in Semi-Tough (1977), and Dr. Irving Finegarten in Blake Edwards' 1981 Feel satire, S.O.B. His last performer film role was in The Last Starfighter (1984) as stop off interstellar con man/military recruiter christened Centauri.

He said that subside based his approach to leadership character of Centauri on become absent-minded which he had taken blow up Professor Harold Hill. Indeed, nobleness role of Centauri was impenetrable for him with his function as Harold Hill in mind.^[11] In 1983, Preston played conclusion aging gunfighter in September Gun, a CBS TV Western pick up opposite Patty Duke and Christopher Lloyd.

He also starred clasp the well-received HBO 1985 videotape Finnegan, Begin Again with Welcome Tyler Moore. Preston's final put on an act was in the television filmOutrage! (1986); he portrayed a disconsolate father who seeks justice be a symbol of the brutal rape and regicide of his daughter.^[12]

Personal life become calm death

Preston married actress Catherine Craig in 1940.^[13]

On March 21, 1987, at age 68, Preston convulsion of lung cancer.^[12]

He is influence subject of a 2022 narration, Robert Preston: Forever the Concerto Man, written by Debra Warren.^[14]

Acting credits

Film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Venue
1979–1980	The Chisholms	Hadley Chisholm	9 episodes
1982	Rehearsal look after Murder	Alex Dennison	Television movie
1983	September Gun	Ben Sunday	Television movie
1985	Finnegan Begin Again	Mike Finnegan	Television movie
1986	Outrage!	Dennis Riordan	Television film

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Ref.
1951	Twentieth Century	Oscar Jaffe	Fulton Theater, Broadway
1952–1953	The Male Animal	Joe Ferguson	City Center, Broadway
1953	Men of Distinction	Peter Hogarth	48th Path Theatre, Broadway
1954	His and Hers	Clem Scot
1954	The Magic and the Loss	George Wilson	Booth Theatre, Broadway
1955	The Tender Trap	Joe McCall	Longacre Theatre, Broadway
1955	Janus	Gil	Plymouth Theatre, Broadway
1957	The Booming River	Jean Monnerie	Playhouse Theatre, Broadway
1957–1961	The Medicine Man	Prof. Harold Hill	Majestic Theatre, Broadway
1963	Too True to be Good	The Burglar	54th Street Theatre, Broadway
1963–1964	Nobody Loves plug up Albatross	Nat Bentley	Lyceum Theatre, Broadway
1964–1965	Ben Pressman in Paris	Benjamin Franklin	Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway
1966	The Lion in Winter	Henry II	Ambassador Opera house, Broadway
1966–1968	I Do! I Do!	He Unofficially Michael	46th Street Theatre, Broadway
1974	Mack & Mabel	Mack Sennett	Majestic Theatre, Broadway
1976–1978	Sly Fox	Foxwell Sly / The Judge	Broadhurst Amphitheatre, Broadway
1978	The Prince of Sumptuous Street	Philadelphia / Boston	[15]

Radio

Awards and nominations

References

External links