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Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965) was an American actor, most notable for his roles as villains and "mystery men". Born in Austin, Texas, he was a distant cousin of George Washington, and his grandfather had been a very successful cattle rancher. Scott intended to be a doctor like his father, Zachary Scott Sr. (1880-1964), but after attending the University of Texas for a while, he decided to switch to acting. He signed on as a cabin boy on a freighter which took him to England, where he acted in repertory theatre for a while, before he returned to Austin, and began... MORE

Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965) was an American actor, most notable for his roles as villains and "mystery men". Born in Austin, Texas, he was a distant cousin of George Washington, and his grandfather had been a very successful cattle rancher. Scott intended to be a doctor like his father, Zachary Scott Sr. (1880-1964), but after attending the University of Texas for a while, he decided to switch to acting. He signed on as a cabin boy on a freighter which took him to England, where he acted in repertory theatre for a while, before he returned to Austin, and began acting in local theater. Alfred Lunt discovered Scott in Texas and convinced him to move to New York City, where he appeared on Broadway. Jack Warner saw him in a performance, and signed him to appear in a movie, The Mask of Dimitrios, in 1944. He appeared the next year in Mildred Pierce to much acclaim. In the film, Scott was Joan Crawford's somewhat sleazy love interest, whose mysterious murder formed the basis of the plot. (The character was equally sleazy but was not killed in the novel on which the movie was based.) During this period, Scott and his first wife Elaine socialized regularly with LESS