Elaine Anderson Steinbeck (born Mary Elaine Anderson; August 14, 1914 – April 27, 2003) was an American actress and stage manager. She was the widow of author John Steinbeck.

Biography

Anderson was born in Austin,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, to Libbie Adeline (née Roberts) and Waverly F. Anderson. Her maternal great-grandfather was Judge John Bryant Dupuy of Erath County, Texas. On February 21, 1934, Anderson married actor

Zachary Scott Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965)Obituary '' Variety'', October 6, 1965. was an American actor who was known for his roles as villains and "mystery men". Early life Scott was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Sallie L ...

, whom she met while they both studied in the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

theatre program. Anderson studied drama at the

University of Texas, Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

. She worked with husband Zachary at the Austin Little Theatre for several years, and in the process they met several people with connections in the New York theatre. Around 1940, the Scotts moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to seek success there. Though both wished to be successful actors, Zachary had more success in that area, so Elaine began working for The Theatre Guild in New York and learned the technical aspects of theatre production. In late 1944, Elaine gave up her career to relocate to Hollywood with Zachary, who had signed a seven-year contract with

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

. They divorced in December 1950. Within a week of her divorce from Zachary Scott, Elaine married writer John Steinbeck on December 28, 1950. They had no children together and remained married until his death in December 1968. Anderson died of natural causes on April 27, 2003, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

at the age of 88. She was buried near Steinbeck in the Garden of Memories Memorial Park in Salinas, California.

Works

Film

Anderson is said to have made uncredited appearances in two 1944 B-movies: ''

A Night of Adventure ''A Night of Adventure'' is a 1944 American crime mystery film directed by Gordon Douglas. It stars Tom Conway, Audrey Long, and Edward Brophy. Plot Successful attorney Mark Latham neglects his wife, Erica, so she leaves him. Mark tries to win ...

'', and ''

Seven Days Ashore ''Seven Days Ashore'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by John H. Auer and written by Edward Verdier, Irving Phillips and Lawrence Kimble. The film stars Wally Brown, Alan Carney, Marcy McGuire, Virginia Mayo, Elaine Shepard, Gordon Oliv ...

'' ("girl in band").

Published works

References

*Jones, Kenneth. "Elaine Steinbeck, Author's Widow and Former Stage Manager, Dead at 88" ''Playbill'' April 29, 2003. September 20, 200

*Lisheron, Mark. "''Who was Zachary Scott?''" Zachary Scott Theatre Center. September 20, 200

*Nemy, Enid. "Elaine Steinbeck, 88, Author's Widow, Dies." ''The New York Times'' April 29, 2003, Late ed., C19 *Van Neste, Dan. "Zachary Scott: A Scoundrel with Style" ''Classic Images'' March, 1998. September 20, 200

*Woo, Elaine. "From the pages of his life, her legacy of love and work", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', May 14, 2003. September 20, 200

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Steinbeck, Elaine Anderson Actresses from Austin, Texas 1914 births 2003 deaths American film actresses 20th-century American actresses Moody College of Communication alumni 21st-century American women