Errol Flynn
“The dashing swashbuckler of Hollywood's golden age, born to play heroes with a roguish grin.”
In 1935, Warner Bros. gambled on a little-known Tasmanian actor for the lead in the pirate epic Captain Blood. Errol Flynn's dashing charm made him an overnight sensation and Hollywood's definitive swashbuckler, launching a string of action-romance classics.
Tasmanian Adventurer
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn was born in Hobart, Tasmania, in 1909 and led a roving early life. He drifted through New Guinea and amateur theater before landing in Hollywood.
The Great Swashbuckler
Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood made him the screen's premier action hero. His athletic grace and roguish charm defined the costume adventure of the 1930s and 1940s.
A Turbulent Life
Off screen Flynn was dogged by scandal, including a sensational 1942 trial that ended in acquittal. Hard living took its toll, and he died at just 50 in 1959.
Career Timeline
- 1909Born in Hobart, Tasmania.
- 1935Captain Blood.
- 1938The Adventures of Robin Hood.
- 1942The trial. Acquitted.
- 1959Dies in Vancouver at fifty.
Biggest Hits
- He made eight films with Olivia de Havilland, one of Hollywood's great screen pairings.
- His swashbuckling reputation helped inspire the phrase 'in like Flynn.'
The Moment You Remember
As the title hero in <em>The Adventures of Robin Hood</em>, Flynn striding into Nottingham's hall with a stag across his shoulders, laughing in the face of his enemies, captured the swashbuckling spirit of an entire era.
Portrait: Unknown (studio photographer) · Public domain (PD-US-no notice) · via Wikimedia Commons