Robert Woodruff Anderson (April 28, 1917 – February 9, 2009) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and theatrical producer. He received two

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominations for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, for the drama films ''

The Nun's Story ''The Nun's Story'' is a 1956 novel by Kathryn Hulme. It was a Book of the Month selection and reached No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Premise The lead character of the book, Sister Luk ...

'' (1959) and '' I Never Sang for My Father'' (1970), the latter based on his play.

Life and career

Anderson was born in New York City, the son of Myra Esther (Grigg) and James Hewston Anderson, a self-made businessman. He was educated at

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

, which he later said he found a lonely experience. While there he falls in love with an older woman, an event which later becomes the basis of the plot of '' Tea and Sympathy''. Anderson also attended Harvard University, where he took an undergraduate as well as a master's degree. He may be best-remembered as the author of '' Tea and Sympathy''. The play made its Broadway debut in 1953 and was made into a

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

film in 1956; both starred

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a Scottish actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be no ...

and John Kerr. ''

You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running In Modern English, the word "''you''" is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from ...

'', a collection of four one-act comedies, opened in New York in 1967 and ran for more than 700 performances. His other successful Broadway plays were ''Silent Night, Lonely Night'' (1959) and '' I Never Sang for My Father'' (1968). He wrote the screenplays for '' Until They Sail'' (1957), ''

'' (1959), and '' The Sand Pebbles'' (1966). He also wrote many television scripts, including the TV play ''The Last Act Is a Solo'' (1991) and the novels ''After'' (1973) and ''Getting Up and Going Home'' (1978). He was inducted into the

American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame was founded in 1972 in New York City. The first head of its executive committee was Earl Blackwell. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the Uris Theatre, ...

in 1981. Anderson was married to Phyllis Stohl from 1940 until her death in 1956 and to actress

Teresa Wright Muriel Teresa Wright (October 27, 1918 – March 6, 2005) was an American actress. She won the 1942 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Carol Beldon in ''Mrs. Miniver''. She was nominated for the same award in 1941 for her ...

from 1959 until their divorce in 1978. Anderson died of pneumonia on February 9, 2009, at his home in Manhattan, aged 91. He had been suffering from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

for seven years prior to his death.

Advocacy

As a supporter of writers' rights in theatre, Anderson was a member of the

Dramatists Guild of America The Dramatists Guild of America is a professional organization for playwrights, composers, and lyricists working in the U.S. theatre market. It was born in 1921 out of the Authors Guild, known then as Authors League of America, formed in 1912. M ...

and was elected president in 1971. He continued to serve the non-profit organization until 1973.

Selected credits

Plays

*''Dance Me a Song'' (1950) - contributing sketch writer * '' Tea and Sympathy'' (1953) - writer - original Broadway production ran 712 performances *'' Sabrina Fair'' (1954) - producer, via the Playwrights' Company * '' All Summer Long'' (1955) - writer and producer via the Playwrights' Company *'' Time Remembered'' (1957) - producer via the Playwrights' Company *'' The Rope Dancers'' (1957) - producer via the Playwrights' Company * '' Silent Night, Lonely Night'' (1959) - writer * ''

'' (1967) (four unrelated one-acts) - writer **''I'm Herbert''''I'm Herbert''
Dramatists Play Service. Retrieved 2014-06-24. **''The Shock of Recognition'' **''The Footsteps of Doves'' **''I'll Be Home for Christmas'' * '' I Never Sang for My Father'' (1968) - writer * ''Double Solitaire'' (1970) - writer * ''The Last Act Is a Solo'' (1991) - writer

Television

*'' The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse'' (1948) *'' The Prudential Family Playhouse'' -adaptation of "Biography" (1950) *'' The Prudential Family Playhouse'' - adaptation of " Dodsworth" (1950) *''

Studio One in Hollywood ''Studio One'' is an American anthology drama television series that was adapted from a radio series. It was created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. It premiered on November 7, 1948, and ended on Sept ...

'' - adaptation of story "Wintertime" (1951) *'' Schlitz Playhouse'' - adaptation of ''

Still Life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...

'' by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

(1951) *'' Suspense (TV series)'' - "The Moving Target" directed by

Robert Mulligan Robert Patrick Mulligan (August 23, 1925 – December 20, 2008) was an American director and producer. He is best known for his sensitive dramas, including ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' (1962), '' Summer of '42'' (1971), '' The Other'' (1972), '' Sam ...

(1952) *''Suspense'' - "The Man Who Cried Wolf" directed by Robert Mulligan (1953) *'' Medallion Theatre'' - adaptation of "

The Canterville Ghost "The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts as "The Canterville Ghost – A Hylo-Idealistic Romance: The Redemptive Heroine" in '' The Court and S ...

" (1953) *'' Alcoa Hour'' - "Eden Rose" (1956) *'' Goodyear Playhouse'' - "Rise Up and Walk" (1956) *''Goodyear Playhouse'' - adapted his own "All Summer Long" (1956) *''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Ca ...

''/''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U.S. ...

'' - adaptation of " The Old Lady Shows Her Medals" by J.M. Barrie (1956) *'' ITV Play of the Week'' - adapted his own "All Summer Long" (1960) *''

Play of the Week Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

'' - adapted his own "All Summer Long" (1961) *''Festival'' - adaptation of ''Silent Night Lonely Night'' (1965) *'' Double Solitaire'' (1974) - adapted from his play *'' The Patricia Neal Story'' (1981) *'' The General Motors Playwrights Theater'' - adaptation of "The Last Act Is a Solo" (1991) *'' Absolute Strangers'' (1991) *'' Getting Up and Going Home'' (1992) - based on his book

Screenplays

*'' Tea and Sympathy'' (1956) - screenplay, based on his play *'' Until They Sail'' (1957) *''

'' (1959) *'' The Sand Pebbles'' (1966) *'' Silent Night, Lonely Night'' (1969, TV movie) - based on his play *'' I Never Sang for My Father'' (1970) - screenplay based on his play

Novels

*''After'' (1973) *''Getting Up and Going Home'' (1978)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Biography from the Playwrights Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Robert Woodruff 1917 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American male screenwriters Harvard University alumni Deaths from pneumonia in New York City Writers from Manhattan American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from New York (state) Writers Guild of America Award winners 20th-century American screenwriters