ROBERT PRESTON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Robert Preston was born on June 8th, 1918 in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts with the birth name Robert Preston Meservey, to parents Ruth and Frank Wesley Meservey.  His father was a garment worker and Preston was raised in Los Angeles.   

As a young boy he showed an interest in music, becoming proficient in playing various instruments and as he progressed to high school, attending Abraham Lincoln High, he began to develop an interest in theater as well.
 
Preston decided to join the Pasadena Playhouse and attended some classes to help further his acting knowledge.  When Preston made an appearance in one of the Pasadena Playhouse plays he was spotted by a scout from paramount and he was chosen to be signed to a contract.  It was then that his name was shortened to Robert Preston as his stage name.  
 
He began getting cast for bit parts in films.  He took a brief break from acting to serve in the Army Air Corps for England and upon completion of his service he chose to marry Kay Feltus, also known as Catherine Craig another actress whom he had met when he was working at the Pasadena Playhouse on November 9th, 1946 and the couple remained married until his passing.   
 
He returned to his film career continuing to get cast in bit parts in the mid 40's, however none of his films were ever that successful.  Preston chose to move to New York and try to focus less on films and more on his stage career.  He worked on Broadway in various stage productions.  It was his role in "Music Man" (1957) that helped gain his attention from critics.  He was awarded a Tony Award for his role in the production and in 1962 he repeated his role in the film version of, "The Music Man" (1962).  It was quite ironic that before taking on this role he had never even appeared in a musical on stage or film and had never had any singing training.
 
His career was heading in the right direction with more stage roles and winning another Tony Award for his role in, "I Do, I Do" and also alternating between film and stage work with roles in various films such as "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (1960), "All the Way Home" (1963), "Junior Bonner" (1972) starring Steve McQueen and receiving an Oscar nomination for his role in, "Victor Victoria" (1982).
 
He appeared on stage with Lucille Ball in the 1974 film version of "Mame" which was a take on the Jerry Herman musical.  Besides working on stage and film, Preston did take on other challenging roles and took a chance at television work as well.  He was cast on the CBS western miniseries, "The  Chisholms" and also, "Rehearsal for Murder" (1982).
 
Prestons final stage role was in, "The Last Starfighter" (1984) and he also did a HBO television movie, "Finnegan Begin Again" (1985).  Preston's final film role was a role in the film "Outrage" (1986). 
 
In 1987, Robert Preston passed away from Lung cancer on March 21st in Montecito, California at the age of sixty eight.  Robert was an accomplished actor for more then fifty years gaining popularity with his film, stage and television experience.  Robert Preston was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Ocean.     
  

Filmography
 
1986   Outrage! 
1985   Finnegan Begin Again  
1984   The Last Starfighter  
1983   September Gun  
1982   Rehearsal for Murder 
1982   Victor Victoria  
1981   S.O.B.  
1980   The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg 
1980   The Chisholms  
1979   The Chisholms  
1977   Semi-Tough  
1975   My Father's House 
1975   Happy Endings  
1974   Mame  
1972   Child's Play  
1972   Junior Bonner  
1963   All the Way Home  
1963   Island of Love  
1962   How the West Was Won  
1962   The Music Man  
1960   The Dark at the Top of the Stairs  
1960   The DuPont Show of the Month 
1959   The Bells of St. Mary's  
1955-1957  Climax!
1957   Kraft Theatre 
1955-1957  The Alcoa Hour 
1956   Playhouse 90
1956   Goodyear Playhouse
1956   The 20th Century-Fox Hour
1955   The Last Frontier 
1953-1955  Robert Montgomery Presents 
1955 G.E.  True Theater 
1951-1955  Lux Video Theatre  
1955   The Elgin Hour
1953-1955  The United States Steel Hour 
1954   Campbell Summer Soundstage
1953   Danger
1953   Medallion Theatre  
1953   The Plymouth Playhouse 
1951-1953  Your Show of Shows 
1952   Face to Face 
1952   Curtain Call 
1952   Pulitzer Prize Playhouse
1951   Man Against Crime
1951   Schlitz Playhouse
1951   My Outlaw Brother  
1951   Best of the Badmen  
1951   When I Grow Up
1951   Cloudburst  
1950   Studio One in Hollywood  
1950   The Sundowners  
1949   The Lady Gambles  
1949   Tulsa  
1948   Whispering Smith  
1948   Blood on the Moon  
1948   Big City  
1947   Wild Harvest  
1947   The Macomber Affair  
1943   Night Plane from Chungking 
1942   Wake Island  
1942   This Gun for Hire  
1942   Reap the Wild Wind  
1941   Pacific Blackout  
1941   Night of January 16th  
1941   New York Town  
1941   Parachute Battalion  
1941   The Lady from Cheyenne  
1940   Moon Over Burma  
1940   North West Mounted Police  
1940   Typhoon  
1939   Beau Geste  
1939   Union Pacific  
1939   Disbarred  
1938   Illegal Traffic  
1938   King of Alcatraz