Catherine Craig, a talented actress, was initially recognized for her promising career in Hollywood, apart from her marriage to Robert Preston. Throughout her life, she demonstrated poise, grace, and dedication as a wife.
Born Catherine Jewel Feltus on January 18, 1915, in Bloomington, Indiana, she was the daughter of a circus proprietor and cinema owner who sparked her interest in the arts. As a result of her childhood trips to South America, including Santiago, Chile, she became fluent in Spanish. Catherine graduated from the University of Indiana in 1936 and worked as a speech instructor's assistant while appearing on the local stage in Indiana.
She eventually relocated to Los Angeles, where her well-modulated voice and crisp diction led to radio work. Catherine met actor Preston at the Pasadena Playhouse, and they initially earned studio interest after being spotted by a 20th Century Fox talent agent. She apprenticed in the films "Doomed to Die," "Murder Over New York," and "Manhattan Heartbeat."
Catherine earned a contract at her husband's studio, Paramount, but remained relatively obscure with decorative bit roles in films such as "Las Vegas Nights," "West Point Widow," "Parachute Nurse," "Showboat Serenade," and "The Bride Wore Boots."
In the post-war years, she began to earn more noticeable assignments, including her lifeboat survivor in "Seven Were Saved," her wealthy fiancé menaced by Albert Dekker in "The Pretender," and her innocent-eyed prairie flower opposite Randolph Scott in "Albuquerque."
Following a few stage endeavors, she appeared in a few more films, including "The Pretender," which remains one of her best works. By 1950, Catherine had drifted back to minor status and retired from films after a small part in "No Man of Her Own." She then avoided the limelight to support her husband's career.
Preston became disillusioned with films and the couple moved to New York, where he became a Tony-winning Broadway performer of musicals and legit plays. Catherine occasionally appeared in plays such as "Bell, Book and Candle" and "Inherit the Wind."
After living in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Montecito, California, Preston's film career was rejuvenated when he transferred his "Harold Hill" success to the big screen in "The Music Man" (1962). He won an Oscar nomination decades later with "Victor/Victoria" (1982). Following Preston's death from lung cancer in 1987, Catherine, along with former theater co-stars Mary Martin and Bernadette Peters, paid tribute to him at the Tony Awards presentation that year. Catherine settled in Santa Barbara and passed away at the age of 88 in 2004.
