Zachary Scott
Zachary Scott (Austin, Texas February 24, 1914 – October 3, 1965 also in Austin from a brain tumour) was an American actor, most notable for his roles as villains and "mystery men". He was a distant cousin of both George Washington and Bat Masterson. Scott intended to be a doctor like his father, but after attending the University of Texas for a while, he decided to switch to acting. He signed on as a cabin boy on a freighter which took him to England, where he acted in repertory theatre for a while, before he returned to Austin, and began acting in local theater. Alfred Lunt discovered Scott in Texas and convinced him to move to New York City, where he appeared on Broadway. Jack Warner saw him in a performance, and signed him to appear in a movie, The Mask of Dimitrios, in 1944. He appeared the next year in Mildred Pierce, and went on to star in such movies as The Southerner, The Unfaithful, Cass Timberlaine, Flamingo Road, Guilty Bystander and Wings of Danger. During this period, Scott and his wife socialized regularly with Angela Lansbury and her first husband, Richard Cromwell. In 1950 he was involved in a rafting accident, and also divorced his wife. He succumbed to a depression which limited his acting. Since Warner Bros did not particularly continue to advertise his films, he turned back to the stage, and also appeared on television. He moved back to Austin, where a theatre center bears his name. His family has endowed two chairs at the University of Texas's theatre department in his name. Scott has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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