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Preston Foster

Preston Foster

Actor · Died July 14, 1970, aged 69 · Pitman, New Jersey, USA

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

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 22, 1900
Died
July 14, 1970 (aged 69)
From
Pitman, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
33 on MovieCove · 113 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 16% in 30 days

What are Preston Foster's films like?

Across their 31 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Western2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Western movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
45%
Bonds
20%
Self
13%
Survival
11%
Power
5%
Society
3%
Ideas
3%
Justice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 31 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 10 · Dark 15

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 17 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 8 · Charged 12 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 22 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 20 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 2

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 17 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 8 · Affecting 17 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

26 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 8 of 26 analyzed roles.

Mentor
8 of 26
Shadow
6 of 26
Hero
5 of 26
Herald
2 of 26
Threshold guardian
2 of 26
Shapeshifter
2 of 26
Ally
1 of 26
Show the 26 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
25
Melancholic
18
Hopeful
11
Romantic
6
Dread
5
Other
21

How their films linger

Bittersweet14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet12
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Preston Foster's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 33 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Preston Foster's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

113 credits, 33 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Chubasco(1968)

    as Nick

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • You've Got To Be Smart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as D. O. Griggs

  • The Time Travelers(1964)

    as Dr. Erik von Steiner

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Advance to the Rear(1964)

    as Gen. Bateman (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Man from Galveston(1963)

    as Judge Homer Black

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Going My Way (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Target: The Corruptors! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Gunslinger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 12 episodes · as Captain Zachary Scott

  • Outlaws (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • 77 Sunset Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Harbor Command (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Destination 60,000 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    as Col. Ed Buckley

  • O. Henry Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as John McCaskey

  • Waterfront (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 81 episodes · as Cap'n John Herrick

  • The Loretta Young Show(1953)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • I, the Jury(1953)

    as Capt. Pat Chambers

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Marshal's Daughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Preston Foster - Poker-Game Player

  • Law and Order(1953)

    as Kurt Durling

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Kansas City Confidential(1952)

    as Tim Foster

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Montana Territory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Sheriff Henry Plummer

  • The Big Night(1951)

    as Andy La Main

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Bob Hood

  • The Bogus Green (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Brass McGannon

  • The Big Gusher (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Henry 'Hank' Mason

  • Tomahawk(1951)

    as Col. Carrington

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Three Desperate Men(1951)

    as Tom Denton

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Tougher They Come (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Joe MacKinley

  • The Big Cat(1949)

    as Tom Eggers

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • I Shot Jesse James(1949)

    as John Kelley

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Thunderhoof (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Scotty Mason

  • The Hunted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Johnny Saxon

  • Ramrod (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Frank Ivey

  • King of the Wild Horses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Dave Taggert

  • It's Your America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Army Surgeon (uncredited)

  • Inside Job (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Bart Madden

  • Tangier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Col. Jose Artiego

  • Strange Triangle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Sam Crane

  • The Harvey Girls(1946)

    as Judge Sam Purvis

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Twice Blessed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Jeff Turner

  • The Valley of Decision(1945)

    as Jim Brennan

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Thunderhead: Son of Flicka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Rob McLaughlin

  • Roger Touhy, Gangster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Roger Touhy

  • Bermuda Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Steve Carramond

  • Guadalcanal Diary(1943)

    as Father Donnelly

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • My Friend Flicka(1943)

    as Rob McLaughlin

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • American Empire(1942)

    as Paxton Bryce

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Thunder Birds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Steve Britt

  • Classification of Enlisted Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Narrator

  • Little Tokyo, U.S.A. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Michael Steele

  • Night in New Orleans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Police Lt. Steve Abbott

  • A Gentleman After Dark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Tom Gaynor

  • Secret Agent of Japan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Roy Bonnell

  • Unfinished Business (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Steve Duncan

  • The Roundup (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Greg Lane

  • North West Mounted Police(1940)

    as Sergeant Jim Brett

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Moon Over Burma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Bill Gordon

  • Cafe Hostess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Dan Walters

  • Missing Evidence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Bill Collins

  • Geronimo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Capt. Bill Starrett

  • 20,000 Men a Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Jim Howell

  • News Is Made at Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Steve Drum

  • Chasing Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Steve Mitchell

  • Society Smugglers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Sully

  • Up the River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as 'Chipper' Morgan

  • The Last Warning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Bill Crane

  • Submarine Patrol (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Lt. (j.g.) John C. Drake

  • The Storm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Jack Stacey

  • Army Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Capt. Dike Conger

  • The Lady in the Morgue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Det. Bill Crane

  • Double Danger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Robert Crane

  • Everybody's Doing It(1938)

    as Bruce Keene

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • First Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Stephen Wayne

  • The Westland Case (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Bill Crane - Private Detective

  • You Can't Beat Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as James Ellsworth 'Jimmy' Hughes

  • The Outcasts of Poker Flat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as John Oakhurst

  • Sea Devils (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Michael 'Mike' O'Shea

  • We Who Are About to Die(1936)

    as Steven Mathews

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Plough and the Stars(1936)

    as Jack Clitheroe

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Love Before Breakfast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Scott Miller

  • Muss 'em Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Tip O'Neil

  • We're Only Human(1935)

    as Det. Sgt. Pete 'Mac' McCaffrey

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Annie Oakley(1935)

    as Toby Walker

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Last Days of Pompeii(1935)

    as Marcus

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Arizonian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Tex Randolph

  • A Night at the Biltmore Bowl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Preston Foster

  • The Informer(1935)

    as Dan Gallagher

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The People's Enemy(1935)

    as Vince M. Falcone

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Strangers All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Murray Carter

  • The Band Plays On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Howdy Hardy

  • Wharf Angel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Como Murphy

  • Heat Lightning(1934)

    as George

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Sleepers East (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Jason Everett

  • Hoopla(1933)

    as Nifty Miller

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Sensation Hunters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Tom baylor

  • The Devil's Mate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Insp. O'Brien

  • The Man Who Dared (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Jan Novak

  • Corruption (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Tim Butler

  • Dangerous Crossroads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Hinton

  • Elmer, the Great (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Walker

  • Ladies They Talk About(1933)

    as David Slade

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Just Around the Corner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Tim - Office Worker (uncredited)

  • You Said a Mouthful (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Ed Dover

  • I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang(1932)

    as Pete

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The All-American (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Steve Kelly

  • Life Begins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Dr. Brett

  • The Last Mile(1932)

    as John 'Killer' Mears, Cell 4

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Doctor X(1932)

    as Dr. Wells

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Two Seconds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    as Bud Clark

  • His Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Crewman

  • Follow the Leader (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Two-Gun Terry

  • Heads Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Blake (uncredited)

  • Nothing but the Truth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)

Career shape

Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 113 titles from 1929 to 1968.

Biggest box office

Doctor X (1932)

$1.3M worldwide

Highest rated

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

The Valley of Decision (1945)

Film career

Top draw in 8 MovieCove titles.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting113 of 113: 113 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score55th

By decade

1920s1 · acting1930s54 · acting1940s30 · acting1950s19 · acting1960s9 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 21% of 14 roles
3237

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Preston Foster's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 32; across their 31 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 31

Midcredits score across 33 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

18 of their 33 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser18
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

The People's Enemy (1935)

50th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

Midcredits 98th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 31 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Preston Foster work with?

People who share at least 2 of Preston Foster's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Buttolph shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles