Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
June 20, 1909
Place of Birth:
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Social Media
Errol Flynn
Biography
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (June 20, 1909 - October 14, 1959) was an Australian-American actor and writer. He is popularly remembered as a charismatic romantic hero in the eight films he starred in with Olivia de Havilland. Flynn’s most iconic role came as Robin Hood in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938).
After signing with Warner Bros. Pictures in January 1935, Flynn’s rise to stardom was swift. The studio decided to take a risk casting the unknown 26-year-old as the lead in "Captain Blood" (1935). The film established Flynn as a major Hollywood star and the natural successor to Douglas Fairbanks. The smash hit was followed up by "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936) and "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), the most expensive film Warner Bros. had made up to that time. In spite of his Australian accent, Flynn starred in the enormously successful westerns "Dodge City" (1939), "Virginia City" (1940), "Santa Fe Trail" (1940), and "They Died with Their Boots On" (1941). The popularly of these westerns played a part in the genre’s revival.
In late 1942, Flynn was charged with statutory rape of two 17-year-old girls. Despite his acquittal, press coverage of the trial led to the ubiquity of the expression, “In like Flynn.” With America’s involvement in WWII, Flynn had tried to enlist but was rated 4-F due to his enlarged heart, latent pulmonary tuberculosis and recurrent malaria (contracted in New Guinea). During the war, he made several films with the director Raoul Walsh. These include "Gentleman Jim" (1942) – one of Flynn’s favorite roles – and war films such as "Desperate Journey" (1942) and "Objective, Burma!" (1945).
Embittered by his public image as a womanizer and his inability to serve in the war, Flynn further descended into a life of drug-addiction and alcoholism. His slow deflation became apparent in the waning success of his films and his aging physical appearance. By the late '50s, Flynn mounted a comeback with his turns in "The Sun Also Rises" (1957), "Too Much, Too Soon" (1958) and "The Roots of Heaven" (1958). In 1959, he died of a heart attack in Vancouver, Canada. Flynn’s notorious autobiography "My Wicked, Wicked Ways" (1959) was posthumously published. He also wrote two novels: "Beam Ends" (1937) and "Showdown" (1946).
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Gene Kelly - An American in Hollywood | Self (archive footage) |
| 2013 | Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored | Self (archive footage) |
| 2010 | Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff | Self (archive footage) |
| 2009 | 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year | Self (archive footage) |
| 2007 | Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn | Self (archive footage) |
| 2005 | The Adventures of Errol Flynn | Self / Various Roles (archive footage) (archive sound) |
| 2002 | The Kid Stays in the Picture | Self (archive footage) |
| 1997 | The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender | Self (archive footage) |
| 1993 | Touring Australia | Self (archive footage) |
| 1990 | Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths | (archive footage) |
| 1985 | Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers | Self (archive footage) |
| 1983 | Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| 1982 | Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers! | Self (archive footage) |
| 1976 | Hooray for Hollywood | Self (archive footage) |
| 1975 | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Self (archive footage) |
| 1974 | That's Entertainment! | (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| 1969 | The Extraordinary Seaman | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| 1959 | Cuban Rebel Girls | The American Correspondent |
| 1959 | The Truth About Fidel Castro Revolution | Himself - Reporter |
| 1958 | Too Much, Too Soon | John Barrymore |
| 1958 | The Roots of Heaven | Forsythe |
| 1957 | The Sun Also Rises | Mike Campbell |
| 1957 | The Big Boodle | Ned Sherwood |
| 1957 | Istanbul | James Brennan |
| 1956 | The Sword of Villon | Francois Villon |
| 1955 | The Dark Avenger | Prince Edward |
| 1955 | King's Rhapsody | Richard, King of Laurentia |
| 1954 | Lilacs in the Spring | John 'Beau' Beaumont |
| 1954 | Crossed Swords | Renzo |
| 1953 | The Master of Ballantrae | Jamie Durie |
| 1953 | The Story of William Tell | William Tell |
| 1952 | Against All Flags | Brian Hawke |
| 1952 | Mara Maru | Gregory Mason |
| 1952 | Cruise of the Zaca | Himself / Narrator |
| 1952 | Deep Sea Fishing | Self |
| 1951 | Adventures of Captain Fabian | Capt. Michael Fabian |
| 1950 | Rocky Mountain | Capt. Lafe Barstow |
| 1950 | Montana | Morgan Lane |
| 1950 | Kim | Mahbub Ali, the Red Beard |
| 1949 | That Forsyte Woman | Soames Forsyte |
| 1949 | It's a Great Feeling | Jeffrey Bushdinkle, the Groom (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Rabbit Hood | Robin Hood (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Adventures of Don Juan | Don Juan de Maraña |
| 1948 | Silver River | "Mike" McComb |
| 1947 | Cry Wolf | Mark Caldwell |
| 1947 | Escape Me Never | Sebastian Dubrok |
| 1947 | Blow-Ups of 1947 | Self |
| 1946 | Never Say Goodbye | Phil Gayley |
| 1946 | Blow-Ups of 1946 | Self |
| 1946 | Peeks at Hollywood | |
| 1945 | Objective, Burma! | Capt. Nelson |
| 1945 | San Antonio | Clay Hardin |
| 1944 | Uncertain Glory | Jean Picard |
| 1944 | Breakdowns of 1944 | Self |
| 1943 | Thank Your Lucky Stars | Self |
| 1943 | Edge of Darkness | Gunnar Brogge |
| 1943 | Northern Pursuit | Corporal Steve Wagner |
| 1943 | Show-Business at War | Self |
| 1942 | Gentleman Jim | James J. Corbett |
| 1942 | Desperate Journey | Flight Lt. Terry Forbes |
| 1942 | Breakdowns of 1942 | Self |
| 1941 | Footsteps in the Dark | Francis Monroe Warren II, alias F.X. Pettijohn |
| 1941 | They Died with Their Boots On | George Armstrong Custer |
| 1941 | Dive Bomber | Douglas S. Lee |
| 1941 | Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1 | Self |
| 1940 | Santa Fe Trail | Jeb Stuart |
| 1940 | The Sea Hawk | Captain Geoffrey Thorpe |
| 1940 | Virginia City | Kerry Bradford |
| 1939 | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex | The Earl of Essex |
| 1939 | Dodge City | Wade Hatton |
| 1938 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | Robin Hood |
| 1938 | The Dawn Patrol | Capt. Courtney |
| 1938 | Four's a Crowd | Robert Kensington 'Bob' Lansford |
| 1938 | The Sisters | Frank Medlin |
| 1938 | Out Where the Stars Begin | Robin Hood (archive footage) |
| 1938 | Breakdowns of 1938 | Robin Hood (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| 1937 | The Prince and the Pauper | Miles Hendon |
| 1937 | Another Dawn | Captain Denny Roark |
| 1937 | Green Light | Dr. Newell Paige |
| 1937 | The Perfect Specimen | Gerald Beresford Wicks |
| 1937 | Breakdowns of 1937 | Self |
| 1936 | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Major Geoffrey Vickers |
| 1935 | Captain Blood | Dr. Peter Blood |
| 1935 | Don't Bet on Blondes | David Van Dusen |
| 1935 | The Case of the Curious Bride | Gregory Moxley |
| 1935 | Murder at Monte Carlo | Dyter |
| 1935 | A Dream Comes True | Himself (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Pirate Party on Catalina Isle | Errol Flynn |
| 1933 | In the Wake of the Bounty | Fletcher Christian |
| 1933 | I Adore You | Extra (uncredited) |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | The Steve Allen Show | Self - Guest |
| 1956 | The Errol Flynn Theatre | Self - Host |
| 1955 | Screen Director's Playhouse | Francois Villon |
| 1950 | The Colgate Comedy Hour | Self |
| 1950 | What's My Line? | Self - Panelist |
| 1950 | What's My Line? | Self - Mystery Guest |
| 1948 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Self |
| 1948 | Bambi-Verleihung | Self (archive footage) |