CINEFILER

Preston Foster

Born
August 22, 1900
Died
July 14, 1970
Preston Foster (August 24, 1900 – July 14, 1970) was an American stage and film actor, and singer. Foster entered films in 1929 after appearing as a Broadway stage actor. He was appearing in Broadway plays as late as October 1931 when he acted in a play titled Two Seconds starring Edward J. Pawley. Some of his notable films include: Doctor X (1932), I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932), Annie Oakley (1935), The Last Days of Pompeii (also 1935), The Informer (1935) (as the head of the organization), and My Friend Flicka (1943). He starred on the television drama, Waterfront (1954–1955), playing the role of Captain John Herrick. Foster has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was sometimes credited in movies as Preston S. Foster. His first wife was stage actress Gertrude Warren (1926–1945; divorced). He had one daughter, Stephanie. He was married to his second wife, actress Sheila Darcy, from 1946 until his death. During World War II while serving with the United States Coast Guard, he rose to the rank of Captain, Temporary Reserve. He eventually held the honorary rank of Commodore in the U.S. Coast Guard. After the war and before his productive movie career, Foster became a singer of some note. In 1948 Foster created a trio with himself, Gene Leis and Foster’s wife, actress Sheila Darcy. Gene arranged the songs, and they played on radio and in clubs, appearing with Orrin Tucker, Peggy Ann Garner and Rita Hayworth. Description above from the Wikipedia article Preston Foster, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
Known For
Kansas City Confidential
(1952)
Tim Foster
Doctor X
(1932)
Dr. Wells
The Harvey Girls
(1946)
Judge Sam Purvis
Guadalcanal Diary
(1943)
Father Donnelly
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
(1932)
Pete
Geronimo
(1939)
Capt. Bill Starrett
Lucy and Desi
(2022)
Self (archive footage)
The Informer
(1935)
Dan Gallagher
Ramrod
(1947)
Frank Ivey
Sea Devils
(1937)
Michael 'Mike' O'Shea
The Plough and the Stars
(1936)
Jack Clitheroe
Full Filmography
Acting
Nothing But the Truth
(1929)
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Heads Up
(1930)
Blake
Follow the Leader
(1930)
Two-Gun Terry
His Woman
(1931)
Crewman
Life Begins
(1932)
Dr. Brett
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang
(1932)
Pete
You Said a Mouthful
(1932)
Ed Dover
The Last Mile
(1932)
John 'Killer' Mears, Cell 4
Doctor X
(1932)
Dr. Wells
Two Seconds
(1932)
Bud Clark
The All-American
(1932)
Steve Kelly
The Devil's Mate
(1933)
Insp. O'Brien
Ladies They Talk About
(1933)
David 'Dave' Slade
The 42nd Street Special
(1933)
Self (uncredited)
Sensation Hunters
(1933)
Tom baylor
Just Around the Corner
(1933)
Tim - Office Worker (uncredited)
Elmer, the Great
(1933)
Walker
The Man Who Dared
(1933)
Jan Novak
Hoopla
(1933)
Nifty Miller
Corruption
(1933)
Tim Butler
Wharf Angel
(1934)
Como Murphy
Sleepers East
(1934)
Jason Everett
Heat Lightning
(1934)
George
The Bands Plays On
(1934)
Howdy Hardy
Annie Oakley
(1935)
Toby Walker
The Informer
(1935)
Dan Gallagher
A Night at the Biltmore Bowl
(1935)
Preston Foster
We're Only Human
(1935)
Det. Sgt. Pete 'Mac' McCaffrey
The Arizonian
(1935)
Tex Randolph
The Last Days of Pompeii
(1935)
Marcus
The People's Enemy
(1935)
Vince M. Falcone
Strangers All
(1935)
Murray Carter
Muss 'em Up
(1936)
Tip O'Neil
The Plough and the Stars
(1936)
Jack Clitheroe
Love Before Breakfast
(1936)
Scott Miller
We Who Are About to Die
(1937)
Steven Mathews
The Outcasts of Poker Flat
(1937)
John Oakhurst
The Westland Case
(1937)
Bill Crane - Private Detective
You Can't Beat Love
(1937)
James Ellsworth 'Jimmy' Hughes
First Lady
(1937)
Stephen Wayne
Sea Devils
(1937)
Michael 'Mike' O'Shea
Double Danger
(1938)
Robert Crane
Up the River
(1938)
'Chipper' Morgan
The Lady in the Morgue
(1938)
Det. Bill Crane
Submarine Patrol
(1938)
Lt. (j.g.) John C. Drake
Army Girl
(1938)
Capt. Dike Conger
The Last Warning
(1938)
Bill Crane
The Storm
(1938)
Jack Stacey
Everybody's Doing It
(1938)
Bruce Keene
20,000 Men a Year
(1939)
Jim Howell
News Is Made at Night
(1939)
Steve Drum
Chasing Danger
(1939)
Steve Mitchell
Missing Evidence
(1939)
Bill Collins
Society Smugglers
(1939)
Sully
Geronimo
(1939)
Capt. Bill Starrett
Moon Over Burma
(1940)
Bill Gordon
North West Mounted Police
(1940)
Sergeant Jim Brett
Cafe Hostess
(1940)
Dan Walters
Unfinished Business
(1941)
Steve Duncan
The Roundup
(1941)
Greg Lane
Thunder Birds
(1942)
Steve Britt
Little Tokyo, U.S.A.
(1942)
Michael Steele
A Gentleman After Dark
(1942)
Tom Gaynor
Night in New Orleans
(1942)
Police Lt. Steve Abbott
Secret Agent of Japan
(1942)
Roy Bonnell
Classification of Enlisted Men
(1942)
Narrator
American Empire
(1942)
Paxton Bryce
My Friend Flicka
(1943)
Rob McLaughlin
Guadalcanal Diary
(1943)
Father Donnelly
Roger Touhy, Gangster
(1944)
Roger Touhy
Bermuda Mystery
(1944)
Steve Carramond
Twice Blessed
(1945)
Jeff Turner
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood
(1945)
Himself (uncredited)
Thunderhead - Son of Flicka
(1945)
Rob McLaughlin
The Valley of Decision
(1945)
Jim Brennan
Tangier
(1946)
Col. Jose Artiego
Inside Job
(1946)
Bart Madden
Strange Triangle
(1946)
Sam Crane
It's Your America
(1946)
Army Surgeon (uncredited)
The Harvey Girls
(1946)
Judge Sam Purvis
King of the Wild Horses
(1947)
Dave Taggert
Ramrod
(1947)
Frank Ivey
The Hunted
(1948)
Johnny Saxon
Thunderhoof
(1948)
Scotty Mason
The Big Cat
(1949)
Tom Eggers
I Shot Jesse James
(1949)
John Kelley
The Tougher They Come
(1950)
Joe MacKinley
The Big Gusher
(1951)
Hank Mason
Three Desperate Men
(1951)
Tom Denton
Tomahawk
(1951)
Col. Carrington
The Big Night
(1951)
Andy La Main
The Bogus Green
(1951)
Brass McGannon
Kansas City Confidential
(1952)
Tim Foster
Montana Territory
(1952)
Sheriff Henry Plummer
Law and Order
(1953)
Kurt Durling
The Marshal's Daughter
(1953)
Preston Foster - Poker-Game Player
I, the Jury
(1953)
Capt. Pat Chambers
Destination 60,000
(1957)
Col. Ed Buckley
The Man from Galveston
(1963)
Judge Homer Black
The Time Travelers
(1964)
Dr. Erik von Steiner
Advance to the Rear
(1964)
Gen. Bateman (uncredited)
You've Got To Be Smart
(1967)
D. O. Griggs
Chubasco
(1968)
Nick
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
(1975)
Self (archive footage)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
(1997)
Self (archive footage)
Lucy and Desi
(2022)
Self (archive footage)
Data provided by TMDB