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

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

Biography

Anderson was born on August 14, 1914, in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. 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 university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

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, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 20 ...

. She worked with Scott 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 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 Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

with Zachary, who had signed a seven-year contract with

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

. The Scotts had a daughter, Waverly. They divorced in 1949. Within a week of her divorce from Scott, Elaine married writer

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 ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

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

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Salt pan (geology), Salt Flats") is a city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Monterey County, California, Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is ...

. When Elaine Steinbeck died in 2003, she left her daughter as executor of the estate. In 2017, a federal jury in Los Angeles awarded Waverly Scott Kaffaga more than $13 million in a lawsuit claiming the author's son and daughter-in-law impeded film adaptations of his classic works. The lawsuit followed a decades-long dispute between Thomas Steinbeck and Elaine over control of the author's works.

Works

Film

Anderson is said to have made uncredited appearances in two 1944

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

s: ''

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 Oliver ...

'' ("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 Zach Theater (the Zachary Scott Theatre Center) is a professional theatre company located in Austin, Texas, as well as its associated complex of theatre facilities. The company is the oldest continuously active theatre company in Texas, and one of ...

. September 20, 200

*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 21st-century American women