Biography
Zachary Scott was the son of a highly regarded Texas surgeon. Dropping out of the University of Texas, Scott launched his theatrical career in England. In 1944, with several Broadway credits under his belt, Scott was signed by Warner Bros. to play the sharkish antihero of
The Mask of Dimitrios (1944). Audiences responded positively to the charming cold-bloodedness of the sleek, mustachioed Scott, and as a result he became a star. Before undertaking another roguish character in
Joan Crawford's
Mildred Pierce (1945), Scott impressed his fans with his strong sympathetic performance in
Jean Renoir's
The Southerner (1945). And so it went for the rest of Scott's movie career, which found him alternating between heroes and heels. He was increasingly active in TV and stage work in the 1950s, devoting much of his time to promoting the career of his actress wife,
Ruth Ford. Despite his many commitments, Scott kept close contact with friends and relatives in Texas; one family friend,
Dabney Coleman, was so impressed by Scott's worldliness and erudition (and his exotic earring!) that he himself went into acting. Zachary Scott died in his hometown of Austin at the age of 51, the victim of a malignant brain tumor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide