Jun 8, 1918

Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, USA

Preston was born in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of a garment worker. After attending Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California, he studied acting at the Pasadena Community Playhouse. He would later serve as an intelligence officer with the U.S. 9th Air Force during World War II.
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Preston appeared in many Hollywood films, predominantly Westerns, but is probably best remembered for his portrayal of the character "Professor" Harold Hill in Meredith Willson's musical, The... ... (read more...) Music Man (1962). He won a Tony Award for his performance in the original Broadway production. In 1974, he starred opposite Bernadette Peters in the Broadway musical "Mack and Mabel" as Mack Sennett, the famous silent film director.
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Although he was not a singer, he appeared in several other stage and film musicals, notably Mame (1974) and Victor/Victoria (1982), for which he received an Academy Award nomination. His final role was in the TV movie Outrage! (1986). His final role in a film made for theatres was in The Last Starfighter, in which he played intergalactic con man/military recruiter "Centauri." He died of lung cancer at the age of 68.