Robert Preston Meservey (June 8, 1918 – March 21, 1987) was an American stage and film actor and singer of Broadway and cinema, best known and remembered for his collaboration with composer Meredith Willson and originating the role of Professor Harold Hill in the 1957 musical "The Music Man" and the 1962 film adaptation; the film earned him his first of 2 Golden Globe Award nominations.