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Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn, stage name of Leslie Thompson, (June 20, 1909 - October 14, 1959) was an actor.

Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Although he hadn't really planned on an acting career, Flynn become a star with his very first film, Captain Blood, in 1935. He was typecast as a swashbuckler and made several including The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), The Sea Hawk (1940) (like Captain Blood, based on a novel by Rafael Sabatini), and The Adventures of Don Juan (1949). He also played opposite Olivia de Havilland in the western movie Dodge City (1939).

During the shooting of The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), Flynn and co-star Bette Davis had some legendary off-screen fights. His reputation as a womanizer led to the expression "In like Flynn." He was well known for having wild parties and eventually his own reputation had him brought up on a statutory rape charge. He was cleared of the crime, but he suffered both personally and in his career.

By the mid 1950s, he was something of a self-parody but still won some acclaim as a drunken ne'er-do-well in The Sun Also Rises, (1957). His autobiography, My Wicked, Wicked Ways, was published just months after his death and contains humorous anecdotes about Hollywood. Flynn wanted to call the book In Like Me, but his publishers refused.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

Errol Flynn Facts

Birth NameErrol Leslie Thomson Flynn
OccupationActor
BirthdayJune 20, 1909
SignGemini
BirthplaceHobart, Tasmania, Australia
Date of deathOctober 14, 1959 (age 50)
Height6' 2" (1m88)  How tall is Errol Flynn compared to you?

Selected Filmography

The Adventures of Robin Hood
TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Legends
Desperate Journey
Objective, Burma!
Captain Blood
Silver River
The Sea Hawk
TCM Spotlight: Errol Flynn Adventures
Perry Mason Mysteries: The Original Warner Bros. Movies Collection
Continue » Find more details on the Errol Flynn Movies page