Maxwell Anderson

Date of Birth: December 15, 1888

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

Date of Death: February 28, 1959

Biography

Maxwell Anderson was a renowned American playwright and screenwriter celebrated for his significant contributions to the American theater. Born on December 15, 1888, in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, Anderson’s career spanned several decades, during which he wrote plays that addressed social issues, historical events, and human emotions with a unique blend of poetic dialogue and realism. Anderson’s works often reflected his belief in the importance of individual freedom and the human spirit. He attended the University of North Dakota, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1911, and later went on to Stanford University for graduate studies. Anderson initially worked as a teacher and journalist before fully dedicating himself to playwriting. His first major success came with the play “What Price Glory?” co-written with Laurence Stallings in 1924. This success was followed by a series of critically acclaimed plays, including “Winterset” (1935), “The Bad Seed” (1954), and “Anne of the Thousand Days” (1948). Maxwell Anderson’s work extended to screenwriting, where he adapted many of his plays for film and wrote original screenplays. His influence on American theater is profound, and his works continue to be performed and studied for their emotional depth and innovative use of language.

5 Interesting Facts about Maxwell Anderson

1. Maxwell Anderson won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1933 for his play “Both Your Houses,” which critiqued political corruption.

2. Anderson was one of the founding members of the Playwrights’ Company, an influential theater production company in the mid-20th century.

3. He was known for his use of blank verse in his plays, bringing a poetic quality to American drama.

4. Anderson had a strong interest in historical subjects, which is evident in plays like “Elizabeth the Queen” (1930) and “Mary of Scotland” (1933).

5. He collaborated with composer Kurt Weill to create the musical “Knickerbocker Holiday” (1938), which includes the famous song “September Song.”

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Maxwell Anderson

1. “If you practice an art, be proud of it and make it proud of you. It may break your heart, but it will fill your heart before it breaks it; it will make you a person in your own right.”

2. “There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk on higher ground in that lifetime.”

3. “The essence of democracy is its assurance that every human being should so respect himself that he should respect others.”

4. “The theater is a great equalizer: it is the only place where the rich can look down on the poor.”

5. “When you are dealing with human beings, you have to build a language that is real and powerful but also poetic.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the peak of his career, Maxwell Anderson’s net worth was estimated to be equivalent to several million dollars in today’s currency, though exact figures are not readily available.

Children

Maxwell Anderson had three children. His sons Quentin and Alan Anderson, and his daughter Hesper Anderson, who became an accomplished writer herself, known for her memoir “South Mountain Road: A Daughter’s Journey of Discovery.”