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Errol Flynn
Actor
Died October 14, 1959 (50 years)
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).
Filmography
| 2017 | The Green Fog · as James J. Corbett |
| 2011 | These Amazing Shadows · as Robin Hood (clip from The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)) |
| 2008 | Warner at War · as actor |
| 2004 | Behind the Tunes: Looney Tunes Go Hollywood · as Robin Hood |
| 2004 | Robin Hood: The First Outlaw Hero · as Robin Hood |
| 1998 | |
| 1990 | |
| 1975 | Brother Can You Spare a Dime · as (archive footage) |
| 1974 | That's Entertainment! · as (archive footage) (uncredited) |
| 1965 | Hollywood My Home Town · as Unknown |
| 1963 | Hollywood: The Great Stars · as Robin Hood |
| 1959 | Cuban Rebel Girls · as The American Correspondent |
| 1958 | The Roots of Heaven · as Forsythe |
| 1957 | The Sun Also Rises · as Mike Campbell |
| 1957 | The Big Boodle · as Ned Sherwood |
| 1955 | The Warriors · as Prince Edward |
| 1953 | The Master of Ballantrae · as Jamie Durie |
| 1951 | Adventures of Captain Fabian · as Capt. Michael Fabian |
| 1951 | The Red Skelton Show (TV Series) · as 'The Duke' - Gentleman Hobo |
| 1950 | Rocky Mountain · as Capt. Lafe Barstow |
| 1950 | Kim · as Mahbub Ali, the Red Beard |
| 1950 | Montana · as Morgan Lane |
| 1950 | The Colgate Comedy Hour (TV Series) · as Unknown |
| 1949 | It's a Great Feeling · as Jeffrey Bushdinkle (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Adventures of Don Juan · as Don Juan de Maraña |
| 1947 | Cry Wolf · as Mark Caldwell |
| 1947 | Escape Me Never · as Sebastian Dubrok |
| 1946 | Never Say Goodbye · as Phil Gayley |
| 1945 | San Antonio · as Clay Hardin |
| 1945 | Objective, Burma! · as Capt. Nelson |
| 1943 | Northern Pursuit · as Corporal Steve Wagner |
| 1943 | Edge of Darkness · as Gunnar Brogge |
| 1942 | Gentleman Jim · as James J. Corbett |
| 1942 | Desperate Journey · as Terry Forbes |
| 1941 | They Died with Their Boots On · as George Armstrong Custer |
| 1941 | Dive Bomber · as Douglas S. Lee |
| 1940 | Santa Fe Trail · as Jeb Stuart |
| 1940 | Virginia City · as Kerry Bradford |
| 1940 | The Sea Hawk · as Captain Geoffrey Thorpe |
| 1939 | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex · as The Earl of Essex |
| 1939 | Dodge City · as Wade Hatton |
| 1938 | The Dawn Patrol · as Captain Courtney |
| 1938 | The Adventures of Robin Hood · as Robin Hood |
| 1937 | Another Dawn · as Captain Denny Roark |
| 1937 | The Prince and the Pauper · as Miles Hendon |
| 1936 | The Charge of the Light Brigade · as Major Geoffrey Vickers |
| 1935 | Captain Blood · as Dr. Peter Blood |
| 1933 | In the Wake of the Bounty · as Fletcher Christian |