When he began appearing in films, the studio ordered Meservey to stop using his actual family name. As Robert Preston, the name by which he was known for his entire professional career, he appeared in many Hollywood films, predominantly Westerns, but not exclusively. He was Digby Geste in the sound remake of "Beau Geste" (1939) with Gary Cooper and Ray Milland, and featured in "North West Mounted Police" (1940), also with Cooper. He played an LAPD detective in the noir "This Gun for Hire" (1942).