Anecdotes

Twice won Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical): in 1958, for "The Music Man," a performance he recreated in the film version of the same name, The Music Man (1962); and, in 1967, for "I Do! I Do!". He was also nominated in the same category in 1975 for "Mack and Mabel", in which he played movie pioneer Mack Sennett.

During the early 1950s he and his wife Catherine and 16 of their friends maintained an informal acting group called "Eighteen Actors". They were film actors trying to gain theatrical experience with their actress wives. Included were Charles Lane, Dana Andrews, Moroni Olsen, Addison Richards, Victor Jory and Don Porter. Their productions ran four consecutive weekends in a small state-donated building near the Rose Bowl.

Before starring in the musical "The Music Man", he had not only never appeared in a musical before, he had never sung a note professionally before.

Was in three Oscar Best Picture nominees: Wake Island (1942), The Music Man (1962) and La conquête de l'Ouest (1962).

Served three years in the US Army Air Corps--the predecessor of the US Air Force--as an S-2 (Intelligence Officer), 386th Bombardment Group (Medium), a B-26 Marauder bomber unit assigned to the 8th Air Force and later to the 9th Air Force, based primarily in England, during World War II. By war's end the 386th had moved forward, in pursuit of its own invading forces, and Capt. Robert Meservey (his birth name) and the 386th was re-stationed in Belgium. His job was to receive intelligence reports from 9th Air Force headquarters, in turn briefing 386th bomber crews about what they would most likely encounter, and also to apprise them of HQ expectations.

A Paramount talent scout spotted the teenage Preston in a Pasadena Playhouse production of Robert E. Sherwood's "Idiot's Delight" and signed him to a contract.

The name of his character in Mame (1974), "Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside" is taken from the names of four Civil War generals - Pierre Goustave Toutant Beauregard, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, George Pickett (Confederates), and Ambrose Burnside (Union).

Robert is one of four performers to win the Tony Award during a telecast they were hosting. Robert won the Tony for Lead Actor (Musical) for "I Do! I Do!" While hosting the 1967 ceremony.

Frequently played a "heavy" in his early film roles.

He was the son of Ruth L. (Rea) and Frank Wesley Meservey. His paternal grandmother was born on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Was a lifelong Democrat.

Cousin of Emmerson Denney, Producer/Personal Manager.

He was one of Paramount's 1939 "Golden Dozen of Hopefuls", which included William Holden, Evelyn Keyes and Veda Ann Borg.

Body Cremated and Ashes scattered at sea.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume Two, 1986-1990, pages 708-709. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999.