Robert Anderson (playwright)

Robert Woodruff Anderson (April 28, 1917 – February 9, 2009) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He is best known for his play Tea and Sympathy, which premiered in 1953 and explored themes of repressed homosexuality and societal expectations of masculinity. The play was a significant success and was later adapted into a film in 1956, which Anderson also wrote.

Born in New York City, Anderson served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war, he taught English at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and later at Hunter College. He began writing plays in the late 1940s, initially focusing on television dramas.

Besides Tea and Sympathy, Anderson's other notable works include Silent Night, Lonely Night (1959), I Never Sang for My Father (1968), which was also adapted into a film starring Gene Hackman and Melvyn Douglas, and You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running (1967), a collection of four one-act comedies. He also wrote the screenplays for films such as The Nun's Story (1959) and Until They Sail (1957).

Anderson’s plays often explored complex relationships, family dynamics, and societal pressures, reflecting the anxieties and uncertainties of postwar American society. He was known for his realistic dialogue and his ability to create relatable and sympathetic characters. Anderson was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1984.