Zachary Scott (1914-1965)

biography

Born into a wealthy family on February 21, 1914, in Austin, Texas, actor Zachary Scott first became interested in acting in high school and, later, at the University of Texas. After marrying his first wife, Elaine, he left college and set sail for England where he found work as an actor on the London stage. After a couple of years, Scott returned to the U.S., making New York his home while honing his craft in off-Broadway productions and summer stock. By the early 1940s, Scott was cast in several Broadway plays. It was here where he was spotted for films by Jack Warner, who signed Scott to a Warner Bros. contract in 1943. His first film was the film noir thriller The Mask of Dimitrios (1944; with Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, and Faye Emerson).

At Warner Bros., Scott was in demand in such film noir thrillers as Danger Signal (1945; with Faye Emerson and Bruce Bennett), The Unfaithful (1947; with Ann Sheridan and Lew Ayres), and Flamingo Road (1949; with Joan Crawford and Sydney Greenstreet). However, following his 1949 divorce from his first wife, Scott left Hollywood and moved back to New York, preferring to commute to Hollywood for film roles.

the films of zachary scott

The Southerner (1945)

Danger Signal (1945)

Mildred Pierce (1945)

Her Kind of Man (1946)

Stallion Road (1947)

The Unfaithful (1947)

Flamingo Road (1949)

Flaxy Martin (1949)

South of St. Louis (1949)

Colt .45 (1950)

Guilty Bystander (1950)

Pretty Baby (1950)

Let's Make It Legal (1951)

Wings of Danger (1952)

Appointment in Honduras (1953)

Treasure of Ruby Hills (1955)

The Counterfeit Plan (1957)

later years

Being far removed from Hollywood did Zachary Scott's film career no favors, and he made relatively few films from the mid 1950s onward. With his film career on the back burner, Scott returned to Broadway in a handful of plays and acted in numerous television programs. He married his second wife, actress Ruth Ford in 1952, and the pair remained in New York. Tragically, Scott was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in the spring of 1965 and passed away at his mother's estate in Austin, Texas, on October 3, 1965, at the age of 51. He was survived by his mother, his wife Ruth, and two daughters.

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FILMS
Warner Bros. And The Homefront Collection [DVD] DVD
First, Warner Bros.' contribution to the war effort was "Thank Your Lucky Stars" (1943), a songfest chronicling the mishaps of Eddie Cantor and a look-alike cab driver. Among the studio's star players who are on hand are Humphrey Bogart, Joan Leslie, Olivia de Havilland, John Garfield, Bette Davis singing "They're Either Too Young or Too Old," and Errol Flynn singing "That's What You Jolly Well Get." Next, Ronald Reagan, Leslie, and a cast of thousands star in "This Is the Army" (1943), Irving Berlin's morale-booster tribute to the Armed Forces during WWII, and a memorable entertainment of song and dance. Kate Smith sings her heart out with "God Bless America." And, "Hollywood Canteen" (1944) is a star-studded follow-up to "Stage Door Canteen," filled with Hollywood favorites, patriotic spirit and classic songs. The plot involves soldiers Dane Clark and Robert Hutton catching entertainment at the famed Canteen before being shipped to New Guinea, and Hutton meeting dream girl Leslie. With The Andrews Sisters, Jack Benny, Joan Crawford, Davis, Cantor, and many more. 4 1/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH); bonus shorts.
The Southerner [DVD](1945) DVD
Superlative rural drama by French filmmaker Jean Renoir during his '40s Hollywood period. Patriarch Zachary Scott and his family try to make a go of a small, rundown farm despite illness, floods and spiteful neighbors. Betty Field, Beulah Bondi, J. Carrol Naish co-star. 91 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; bonus short "Baby Daze"; biographies.
Mildred Pierce [DVD](1945) DVD
Fine Hollywood tearjerker with Joan Crawford (in her Oscar-winning role) as the waitress-turned-businesswoman who struggles to provide a good life for her children, only to have older daughter Ann Blyth repay her by having an affair with her stepfather. Michael Curtiz directs; with Zachary Scott, Jack Carson, Eve Arden. 111 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; documentary; photo gallery; theatrical trailers.
Joan Crawford Collection, Vol. 2 [DVD] DVD
This lavish five-disc boxed set opens with the tearful melodrama "Sadie McKee" (1934), as maid Joan travels to the big city and is pursued by rakish wastrel Gene Raymond, millionaire Edward Arnold and lawyer Franchot Tone. "Strange Cargo" (1940), Crawford and Clark Gable's eighth film together, is an unusual religious allegory in which a group of Devil's Island escapees fall under the sway of a Christ-like fellow convict. With Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas. Next, plastic surgeon Melvyn Douglas repairs blackmailer Crawford's outward appearance, but cannot heal her scarred soul, in director George Cukor's "A Woman's Face" (1941), with Conrad Veidt. The classic soaper "Flamingo Road" (1949) stars Joan as a carnival dancer stranded in a small Southern town who finds romance with politicos Zachary Scott and David Brian and trouble with corrupt sheriff Sydney Greenstreet; Michael Curtiz directs. And icy Broadway star Crawford forsakes romance for her career, until she meets blind pianist Michael Wilding, in the lush love story "Torch Song" (1953), with Gig Young and Harry Morgan. 8 1/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurettes; bonus shorts; radio shows; theatrical trailers.
Stallion Road [DVD](1947) DVD
Based on the novel by Stephen Longstreet (who also scripted), this drama stars Ronald Reagan as a veterinarian and rancher being pursued by a beautiful horse breeder (Alexis Smith) and a vampy divorcee (Peggy Knudsen). But romantic entanglements are the least of his problems when he contracts anthrax after an epidemic breaks out among the local animal population. With Zachary Scott, Patti Brady. 97 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
The Unfaithful [DVD](1947) DVD
Loose adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's play "The Letter" stars Ann Sheridan as a married woman who kills an intruder in self-defense. Or did she? When it's revealed that the victim was actually the man she was having an affair with while her husband (Zachary Scott) served overseas, Sheridan must rely on her friend and attorney (Lew Ayres) to clear her of murder. With Eve Arden, Jerome Cowan. 109 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Cass Timberlane [DVD](1947) DVD
Spencer Tracy is a respectable Minnesota judge who marries sexpot Lana Turner and tries to keep up with his young wife while she has trouble mixing with his snobby, middle-aged friends. A move to New York rocks the marriage even further in this melodrama based on a Sinclair Lewis novel. With Zachary Scott, Mary Astor. 119 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Whiplash [DVD](1948) DVD
A struggling artist (Dane Clark) becomes infatuated with a beautiful nightclub singer (Alexis Smith), only to learn that she's married to a wheelchair-bound boxing promoter (Zachary Scott). Scott thinks Clark has a future in the ring and begins to teach him the sweet science, but he starts to sabotage the training when he discovers his protege is having an affair with his wife. Eve Arden, Jeffrey Lynn, Alan Hale also star in this gritty melodrama. 91 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Ruthless [DVD](1948) DVD
First-rate melodrama stars Zachary Scott as a crafty financier who dupes a series of associates on his rise to the top. Among those who face his wrath are close pal Louis Hayward, utilities executive Sydney Greenstreet and a series of women, including Martha Vickers, Dianna Lynn and Lucille Bremer. Raymond Burr also stars; directed by Edgar G. Ulmer ("Detour"). 104 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Pretty Baby [DVD](1950) DVD
Betsy Drake stars in this delightful comedy about a whip-smart young lady who always carries a baby doll on the subway as a way to guarantee herself a seat. Her act backfires when she meets a gruff baby food mogul who wants the ad agency she works for to use her "baby" in a new campaign. With Dennis Morgan, Edmund Gwenn, William Frawley. 92 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Fort Worth (1951)/Colt .45 (1950)/Tall Man Riding [DVD](1955) DVD
First, in "Fort Worth," Randolph Scott is an ex-gunslinger and newspaperman who is forced to return to his old vocation when a gang of outlaws rides into his Texas town. Features David Brian, Phyllis Thaxter, Helena Carter. Next, "Colt .45" has Scott chasing a desperado who is using weapons to terrorize locals. With Ruth Roman, Zachary Scott, Lloyd Bridges. AKA: "Thundercloud." Finally, Scott is a "Tall Man Riding" for vengeance as he tries to settle the score with a nemesis from his past. Dorothy Malone, Peggie Castle, Robert Barratt co-star. 4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo.
Stronghold [DVD](1951) DVD
Set amid Revolutionary Mexico in the mid-1860s, this lush historical drama (filmed simultaneously with a Mexican leading cast as "Furia Roja") stars Veronica Lake as a U.S. silver mine heiress who is abducted by anti-imperial rebel Arturo de Cordova. The two fall in love, and Lake joins de Cordova's fight for the rights of his people. With Zachary Scott, Alfonso Bedoya. 72 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; biographies.
Lightning Strikes Twice [DVD](1951) DVD
Directed by King Vidor, this suspenser follows a stage actress who becomes convinced that a man who has been accused of murdering his wife is innocent. After the would-be killer is cleared of committing the crime thanks to a technicality, she falls for him. But on her wedding night, our heroine discovers that her new spouse may just be a madman after all. Richard Todd, Ruth Roman, Mercedes McCambridge star. 91 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Let's Make It Legal [DVD](1951) DVD
Mirthful marital farce about a woman who divorces her husband of 25 years, much to the chagrin of their daughter. When the woman's former boyfriend enters the picture, the daughter tries to keep them apart. Claudette Colbert, Macdonald Carey, Barbara Bates, Robert Wagner, and Marilyn Monroe star. 76 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish.
Terror Street (1953)/Wings Of Danger (1952) [DVD] DVD
First, an American pilot (Dan Duryea) takes a stroll down "Terror Street" when he tries to unravel the baffling murder of his estranged wife, killed with his gun shortly after he is unconscious during a visit. Eisle Albin, Eric Pohlmann also star. AKA: "36 Hours." Next, the "Wings of Danger" keep this white-knuckle suspenser flying high, when an ex-pilot prone to blackouts searches for a colleague mixed up in a smuggling operation. Zachary Scott, Robert Beatty, and Kay Kendall star. 157 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo.
Appointment In Honduras (1953)/Escape To Burma [DVD](1955) DVD
Two exciting and colorful jungle thrillers are offered on one disc. In "Appointment in Honduras," Ann Sheridan and Zachary Scott find trouble in Central America when they are confronted by Glenn Ford and his bandits. And in "Escape to Burma," suspected murderer Robert Ryan is taken in by plantation owner Barbara Stanwyck. 165 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; theatrical trailers; biographies; scene access.
Treasure Of Ruby Hills [DVD](1955) DVD
The title treasure is valuable ranch land that rival cattlemen will stop at nothing to gain control of, and a newly arrived landowner finds himself caught up in the deadly feud in this frontier drama. Zachary Scott, Dick Foran, Barton MacLane, Carole Mathews, and Lee Van Cleef star. 71 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Darn Good Westerns, Vol. 2 [DVD] DVD
First, Jon Hall is a "Deputy Marshal" (1949) pitted against crooked landgrabbers preying on farmers. With Frances Langford, Russell Hayden. Accused of crimes they didn't commit, brothers Jim Davis, Jim Latimer, and Preston Foster become "Three Desperate Men" (1951) as they fight to clear their names. Monte Blue, Virginia Grey co-star. A gals-only frontier town is the unique setting for trouble when some male visitors arrive in "Outlaw Women" (1952), with Marie and Jackie Coogan. Deputy Sterling Hayden uses a sawed-off "Shotgun" (1955) in his search for a marshal's killer. Yvonne DeCarlo, Zachary Scott also star. Wild West lawmen Dane Clark and James Craig must find out who's been smuggling guns to rampaging Yaqui Indians in order to prevent a "Massacre" (1956). And fugitive Craig needs the help of "Four Fast Guns" (1959)--including his own brother--to clean up the lawless town of Purgatory. Brett Halsey, Martha Vickers, and Edgar Buchanan co-star. 7 3/4 hrs. total on two discs. Standard/Widescreen; Soundtrack: English; interview; theatrical trailers.
It's Only Money [Blu-ray](1962)
A klutzy TV repairman (Jerry Lewis) obsessed with detective novels gets a chance to play sleuth when he takes on a case meant for his private eye mentor (Jesse White). What happens, though, when his search for a late millionaire's lost son leads to none other than Jerry himself? Slapstick shamus comedy also stars Joan O'Brien, Mae Questel, Zachary Scott; Frank Tashlin directs. 83 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English.
It's Only Money [DVD](1962) DVD
A klutzy TV repairman (Jerry Lewis) obsessed with detective novels gets a chance to play sleuth when he takes on a case meant for his private eye mentor (Jesse White). What happens, though, when his search for a late millionaire's lost son leads to none other than Jerry himself? Slapstick shamus comedy also stars Joan O'Brien, Mae Questel, Zachary Scott; Frank Tashlin directs. 83 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English.

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filmography

FILM
It's Only Money (1962) with Jerry Lewis, Joan O'Brien, Jack Weston, Jesse White, Mae Questel, Barbara Pepper, Francine York, and Del Moore
The Expendables (1962) with Mike Connors and Dina Merrill
Jane Eyre (1961) with Sally Ann Howes
Natchez Trace (1960) with William Campbell and Marcia Henderson
White Trash (1960) with Bernie Hamilton
Violent Stranger (1957) with Faith Domergue
The Counterfeit Plan (1957) with Peggie Castle, Mervyn Johns, and Lee Patterson
Bandido (1956) with Robert Mitchum, Ursula Thiess, and Gilbert Roland
Flight Into Danger (1956) with James Doohan
Flame of the Islands (1956) with Yvonne De Carlo, Howard Duff, Barbara O'Neil, and James Arness
Shotgun (1955) with Sterling Hayden, Yvonne De Carlo, and Angela Greene
Treasure of Ruby Hills (1955) with Carole Mathews, Barton MacLane, Dick Foran, Lola Albright, Raymond Hatton, and Lee Van Cleef
Appointment in Honduras (1953) with Glenn Ford, Ann Sheridan, and Jack Elam
Wings of Danger (1952) with Robert Beatty, Kay Kendall, and Diane Cilento
Let's Make It Legal (1951) with Claudette Colbert, Macdonald Carey, Barbara Bates, Robert Wagner, and Marilyn Monroe
Stronghold (1951) with Veronica Lake
The Secret of Convict Lake (1951) with Glenn Ford, Gene Tierney, Ethel Barrymore, Ann Dvorak, Barbara Bates, and Cyril Cusack
Lightning Strikes Twice (1951) with Richard Todd, Ruth Roman, Mercedes McCambridge, and Darryl Hickman
Pretty Baby (1950) with Dennis Morgan, Betsy Drake, Edmund Gwenn, William Frawley, Sheila MacRae, and Barbara Billingsley
Born to Be Bad (1950) with Joan Fontaine, Robert Ryan, Joan Leslie, and Mel Ferrer
Colt .45 (1950) with Randolph Scott, Ruth Roman, and Lloyd Bridges
Shadow on the Wall (1950) with Ann Sothern, Gigi Perreau, Nancy Davis, and Barbara Billingsley
Guilty Bystander (1950) with Faye Emerson and Mary Boland
One Last Fling (1949) with Alexis Smith, Douglas Kennedy, Ann Doran, Veda Ann Borg, Jim Backus, Barbara Bates, and Jody Gilbert
Flamingo Road (1949) with Joan Crawford, Sydney Greenstreet, David Brian, and Fred Clark
South of St. Louis (1949) with Joel McCrea, Alexis Smith, Dorothy Malone, Douglas Kennedy, Victor Jory, and Bob Steele
Flaxy Martin (1949) with Virginia Mayo, Dorothy Malone, Douglas Kennedy, Elisha Cook Jr., and Monte Blue
Whiplash (1948) with Dane Clark, Alexis Smith, Eve Arden, and Douglas Kennedy
Ruthless (1948) with Louis Hayward, Diana Lynn, Sydney Greenstreet, Martha Vickers, and Raymond Burr
Cass Timberlane (1947) with Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Tom Drake, Mary Astor, Albert Dekker, and Margaret Lindsay
The Unfaithful (1947) with Ann Sheridan, Lew Ayres, Eve Arden, Jerome Cowan, and John Hoyt
Stallion Road (1947) with Ronald Reagan, Alexis Smith, Peggy Knudsen, Angela Greene, and Ralph Byrd
Her Kind of Man (1946) with Dane Clark, Janis Paige, Faye Emerson, and George Tobias
Danger Signal (1945) with Faye Emerson, Rosemary DeCamp, Bruce Bennett, Mona Freeman, and Joyce Compton
Mildred Pierce (1945) with Jack Carson, Eve Arden, Ann Blyth, Bruce Bennett, and Veda Ann Borg
The Southerner (1945) with Betty Field, J. Carrol Naish, Beulah Bondi, and Percy Kilbride
The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) with Sydney Greenstreet, Faye Emerson, and Peter Lorre

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
The Rogues, episode Bow to a Master, originally aired February 7, 1965
The Doctors and the Nurses, episode Show Just Cause Why You Should Weep, originally aired October 3, 1963
The DuPont Show of the Week, episode Big Deal in Laredo, originally aired October 7, 1962
The Defenders, episode The Locked Room, originally aired February 10, 1962
The New Breed, episode Policemen Die Alone Parts I and II, originally aired February 6, 1962
Password All-Stars, episode Betsy Palmer vs. Zachary Scott, originally aired December 4, 1961
Rawhide, episode Incident Before Black Pass, originally aired May 19, 1961
The DuPont Show of the Month, episode The Scarlet Pimpernel, originally aired December 18, 1960
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, episode The Five-Forty-Eight, originally aired October 25, 1960
Diagnosis: Unknown, episode A Sudden Stillness, originally aired August 9, 1960
The Chevy Mystery Show, episode The Summer Hero, originally aired June 12, 1960
Pursuit, episode Ticket to Tangier, originally aired November 5, 1958
Lux Video Theatre, episode Mildred Pierce, originally aired September 20, 1956
General Electric Summer Originals, episode The Unwilling Witness, originally aired July 24, 1956
Celebrity Playhouse, episode Deborah, originally aired April 3, 1956
The Star and the Story, episode A Point of Honor, originally aired January 7, 1956
Science Fiction Theatre, episode Beyond Return, originally aired December 9, 1955
Science Fiction Theatre, episode The Lost Heartbeat, originally aired August 19, 1955
Robert Montgomery Presents, episode The Drifter, originally aired May 23, 1955
The Star and the Story, episode Hand to Hand, originally aired May 14, 1955
G.E. True Theater, episode It Gives Me Great Pleasure, originally aired April 3, 1955
Climax!, episode The Darkest Hour, originally aired March 24, 1955
Lux Video Theatre, episode The Mansion, originally aired October 7, 1954
The United States Steel Hour, episode The Grand Tour, originally aired August 17, 1954
Robert Montgomery Presents, episode Skyblock, originally aired May 17, 1954
Campbell Summer Soundstage, episode Break the Mirror, originally aired Ferbuary 26, 1954
The Motorola Television Hour, episode A Dash of Bitters, originally aired February 9, 1954
Schlitz Playhouse, episode Pearl-Handled Guns, originally aired January 15, 1954
Omnibus, episode The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife, originally aired 1954
Suspense, episode The Newcomer, originally aired November 17, 1953
The Revlon Mirror Theater, episode Award Performance, originally aired November 7, 1953
Medallion Theatre, episode The Padre of San Pablo, originally aired September 12, 1953
Studio One in Hollywood, episode King Coffin, originally aired May 11, 1953
Suspense, episode Death in the Cave, originally aired March 31, 1953
Tales of Tomorrow, episode Sneak Attack, originally aired December 7, 1951
Pulitzer Prize Playhouse, episode The Raven, originally aired November 10, 1950
Lux Video Theatre, episode The Valiant, originally aired October 23, 1950
Armstrong Circle Theatre, episode Round-Up, originally aired October 3, 1950
Robert Montgomery Presents, episode The Big Sleep, originally aired September 25, 1950

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Watch Zachary Scott's 1945 drama The Southerner