Tea and Sympathy Scribe Robert Anderson Dead at 91

Playwright Robert Anderson, best known for the drama Tea and Sympathy, passed away at his home in New York City on February 9 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease. The scribe was 91.

A three-time Tony Award nominee, Anderson was a playwright and screenwriter whose tightly-woven dramas often addressed subjects—from prudishness versus sexuality to onstage nudity—at a time when they were still taboo. A New York City native, Anderson studied as a teenager at Phillips Exeter Academy before earning his bachelor and master’s degrees from Harvard University.

Anderson had six plays produced on Broadway during his career, beginning with Tea and Sympathy, about an artistic boy persecuted by his classmates for his supposed homosexuality, in 1953. Directed by famed helmer Elia Kazan, the production starred Deborah Kerr in her Broadway debut and ran for 712 performances, transferring twice over the course of its nearly two year run before being adapted into a film in 1956.

Tea and Sympathy was followed by All Summer Long 1954, Silent Night, Lonely Night 1960, the commercial hit You Know I Can’t Hear Your When the Water’s Running 1967, I Never Sang for My Father 1968 and Solitaire/Double Solitaire 1971.

Though a devoted playwright, Anderson also made a name for himself in Hollywood, adapting his work and writing fresh material for television and film. His screen credits included Until They Sail, The Nun’s Story starring Audrey Hepburn, The Sand Pebbles, The Patricia Neal Story and I Never Sang For My Father. He was honored with two Academy Award nominations for screenwriting during his long career, for The Nun’s Story and I Never Sang for My Father, respectively.

Anderson is survived by his stepson, Nevin Terence Busch, and stepdaughter, Mary-Kelly Busch.