Zachary Scott

Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965) was an American actor born in Austin, Texas, the son of Sallie Lee (Masterson) and Zachary Thomson Scott, a physician. He became known for his portrayals of villains and mystery men across Broadway, film, and television over a career spanning more than two decades.

Scott initially intended to pursue medicine like his father and enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, but left at age 19 to work as a seaman aboard a freighter bound for England. During his time there, he appeared in nearly two dozen repertory theatre productions over eighteen months. Returning to Texas, he resumed acting in local productions and re-enrolled at the University of Texas, where he and his first wife, Elaine Anderson, were introduced to actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Lunt and Fontanne subsequently wrote to Lawrence Langer recommending summer positions for both at the Westport Playhouse in Connecticut, an introduction that opened the door to Scott's New York career. He left the university without completing his degree.

Scott made his Broadway debut in 1941 in a revival of Ah, Wilderness!, taking a small role as a bartender. He went on to appear in The Damask Cheek in 1942, followed by This Rock and the drama Those Endearing Young Charms, both in 1943. His Broadway work continued across subsequent decades, including Requiem for a Nun in 1959 and A Rainy Day in Newark in 1963, the latter written by Howard Teichmann.

His stage performance in Those Endearing Young Charms caught the attention of Jack L. Warner, who signed Scott to a film contract. Scott made his screen debut in The Mask of Dimitrios in 1944 and also appeared in Hollywood Canteen that same year. United Artists borrowed him to play the lead in The Southerner (1945), directed by Jean Renoir. Back at Warner Bros., he was cast in Mildred Pierce (1945), playing the duplicitous lover of both Joan Crawford's character and her daughter, a role whose mysterious murder frames the film's narrative. Variety credited him with a talented performance in which he made the most of his character. In 1946, exhibitors voted Scott the third most promising star of tomorrow.

His Warner Bros. years produced a substantial body of work, including Danger Signal (1945) with Faye Emerson, Her Kind of Man (1946) with Janis Paige and Dane Clark, The Unfaithful (1947) with Ann Sheridan, and Stallion Road (1947) alongside Ronald Reagan and Alexis Smith. MGM borrowed him for Cass Timberlane (1947) with Lana Turner and Spencer Tracy. He took the lead in the Eagle-Lion noir Ruthless (1948) and was reunited with Crawford in Flamingo Road (1949). After Warner Bros. dropped him, Scott transitioned increasingly to television, appearing on programs including Armstrong Circle Theatre and Pulitzer Prize Playhouse in the early 1950s, while continuing to take film roles such as Lightning Strikes Twice (1951) for director King Vidor.

Following his departure from Warners, Scott worked steadily in both film and television throughout the 1950s. Film credits from this period include Appointment in Honduras (1953), directed by Jacques Tourneur, Treasure of Ruby Hills (1955), Shotgun (1955), Flame of the Islands (1956), and Man in the Shadow (1957). His television appearances were extensive, encompassing Suspense, Climax!, General Electric Theater, and Robert Montgomery Presents, in which he played Philip Marlowe in an adaptation of The Big Sleep. He returned to Broadway in 1959 for Requiem for a Nun before taking a role in The Young One (1960), directed by Luis Buñuel. His final Broadway appearance came in 1963 with A Rainy Day in Newark, after which he relocated back to Austin. Among his last screen credits was It's Only Money (1962) with Jerry Lewis.

In his personal life, Scott and his first wife Elaine socialized during the Warner years with Angela Lansbury and her husband Richard Cromwell. Elaine Scott went on to work as stage manager for the original production of Oklahoma! and later married writer John Steinbeck following her 1950 divorce from Scott. That same year Scott was involved in a rafting accident, and the combination of personal upheaval and a box-office slump contributed to a period of depression that affected his work. In 1952 he married actress Ruth Ford and adopted her daughter from her previous marriage to Peter van Eyck. The couple had one child together from his first marriage.

Scott died on October 3, 1965, from a malignant brain tumor at his mother's home in Austin at the age of 51. He holds a star in the Motion Pictures section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6349 Hollywood Boulevard, dedicated on February 8, 1960. In 1968, Austin renamed its civic center the Zachary Scott Theatre Center in his honor. Two streets in the Austin area bear his name, and his family endowed two chairs in the theatre department at the University of Texas in his memory.