Errol Flynn
Known for: Acting
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
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
What's My Line?
Self
1950
Series
Bambi
Self (archive footage)
1948
Series
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self
1950
Series
The Steve Allen Show
Self - Guest
1956
Series
Screen Director's Playhouse
Francois Villon
1955
Film
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
1938
Film
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage) (uncredited)
1974
Series
The Errol Flynn Theatre
Self - Host
1956
Film
Captain Blood
Dr. Peter Blood
1935
Film
The Sun Also Rises
Mike Campbell
1957
Film
Against All Flags
Brian Hawke
1952
Film
The Sea Hawk
Captain Geoffrey Thorpe
1940
Film
Adventures of Don Juan
Don Juan de Maraña
1948
Film
They Died with Their Boots On
George Armstrong Custer
1941
Film
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1983
Film
Santa Fe Trail
Jeb Stuart
1940
Film
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Self (archive footage)
2010
Film
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
Self (archive footage)
1985
Film
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
The Earl of Essex
1939
Film
Objective, Burma!
Capt. Nelson
1945
Film
Virginia City
Kerry Bradford
1940
Film
Dodge City
Wade Hatton
1939
Film
The Dark Avenger
Prince Edward
1955
Film
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Major Geoffrey Vickers
1936
Film
Istanbul
James Brennan
1957
Film
Edge of Darkness
Gunnar Brogge
1943
Film
Desperate Journey
Flight Lt. Terry Forbes
1942
Film
Gentleman Jim
James J. Corbett
1942
Film
Silver River
'Mike' McComb
1948
Film
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
Self (archive footage)
1995
Film
The Sisters
Frank Medlin
1938
Film
The Dawn Patrol
Capt. Courtney
1938
Film
The Roots of Heaven
Forsythe
1958
Film
Another Dawn
Captain Denny Roark
1937
Film
Northern Pursuit
Corporal Steve Wagner
1943
Film
Montana
Morgan Lane
1950
Film
It's a Great Feeling
Jeffrey Bushdinkle, the Groom (uncredited)
1949
Film
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
(archive footage) (uncredited)
1988
Film
Show-Business at War
Self
1943
Film
Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths
(archive footage)
1990
Film
Kim
Mahbub Ali, the Red Beard
1950
Film
Breakdowns of 1942
Self
1942
Film
The Prince and the Pauper
Miles Hendon
1937
Film
The Adventures of Errol Flynn
Self / Various Roles (archive footage) (archive sound)
2005
Film
Gene Kelly: An American in Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
2025
Film
That Forsyte Woman
Soames Forsyte
1949
Film
Thank Your Lucky Stars
Self
1943
Film
Never Say Goodbye
Phil Gayley
1946
Film
San Antonio
Clay Hardin
1945
Film
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
1975
Film
Rocky Mountain
Capt. Lafe Barstow
1950
Film
Breakdowns of 1938
Robin Hood (archive footage) (uncredited)
1938
Film
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
Self (archive footage)
1997
Film
The Extraordinary Seaman
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1969
Film
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Self (archive footage)
1982
Film
1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year
Self (archive footage)
2009
Film
Cry Wolf
Mark Caldwell
1947
Film
Dive Bomber
Douglas S. Lee
1941
Film
Uncertain Glory
Jean Picard
1944
Film
The Master of Ballantrae
Jamie Durie
1953
Film
Too Much, Too Soon
John Barrymore
1958
Film
Escape Me Never
Sebastian Dubrok
1947
Film
The Big Boodle
Ned Sherwood
1957
Film
Green Light
Dr. Newell Paige
1937
Film
Footsteps in the Dark
Francis Monroe Warren II, alias F.X. Pettijohn
1941
Film
Don't Bet on Blondes
David Van Dusen
1935
Film
Breakdowns of 1944
Self
1944
Film
Hooray for Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
1976
Film
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
Self (archive footage)
2013
Film
The Case of the Curious Bride
Gregory Moxley
1935
Film
Mara Maru
Gregory Mason
1952
Film
Warner at War
(archive footage)
2008
Film
Four's a Crowd
Robert Kensington 'Bob' Lansford
1938
Film
Adventures of Captain Fabian
Capt. Michael Fabian
1951
Film
The Perfect Specimen
Gerald Beresford Wicks
1937
Film
The Story of William Tell
William Tell
1953
Film
Rabbit Hood
Robin Hood (archive footage) (uncredited)
1949
Film
Crossed Swords
Renzo
1954
Film
Lilacs in the Spring
John 'Beau' Beaumont
1954
Film
A Dream Comes True
Himself (uncredited)
1935
Film
Blow-Ups of 1947
Self
1947
Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
Self (archive footage)
1995
Film
Cruise of the Zaca
Himself / Narrator
1952
Film
King's Rhapsody
Richard, King of Laurentia
1955
Film
Murder at Monte Carlo
Dyter
1935
Film
Breakdowns of 1937
Self
1937
Film
Showbiz Ballyhoo
Self (archive footage)
1982
Film
In the Wake of the Bounty
Fletcher Christian
1933
Film
Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn
Self (archive footage)
2007
Film
Without Incident
Capt. Russell Bidlack
1957
Film
Screen Snapshots Series 21 No. 1
Self
1941
Film
Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
Errol Flynn
1935
Film
Hello God
US Soldier on Anzio Beach
Film
Touring Australia
Self (archive footage)
1993
Film
Blow-Ups of 1946
Self
1946
Film
Cuban Rebel Girls
The American Correspondent
1959
Film
Out Where the Stars Begin
Robin Hood (archive footage)
1938
Film
Peeks at Hollywood
1946
Film
Deep Sea Fishing
Self
1952
Film
I Adore You
Extra (uncredited)
1933
Film
The Truth About Fidel Castro Revolution
Himself - Reporter
1959
The Sword of Villon
Francois Villon
1956