Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia de Havilland, and reputation for his womanising and hedonistic personal life. His most notable roles include Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), which was later named by the American Film Institute as the 18th-greatest hero in American film history, the lead role in Captain Blood (1935), Major Geoffrey Vickers in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), and the hero in a number of Westerns such as Dodge City (1939), Santa Fe Trail, Virginia City (both 1940) and San Antonio (1945).
For the Detroit street gang, see Errol Flynns. For the album, see Errol Flynn (album).
Errol Flynn
14 October 1959 (aged 50)
- Australian
- American
Actor
1932–1959
4, including Sean Flynn
- Theodore Thomson Flynn (father)
Flynn was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion pictures and television industry in 1960.[1]
Early career[edit]
In the Wake of the Bounty[edit]
Australian filmmaker Charles Chauvel was making a film about the mutiny on the Bounty, In the Wake of the Bounty (1933), a combination of dramatic re-enactments of the mutiny and a documentary on present-day Pitcairn Island. Chauvel was looking for someone to play the role of Fletcher Christian. There are different stories about the way Flynn was cast. According to one, Chauvel saw his picture in an article about a yacht wreck involving Flynn.[16] The most popular account is that he was discovered by cast member John Warwick. The film was not a strong success at the box office, but Flynn's was the lead role, leading him to travel to Britain in late 1933 to pursue a career in acting.
Britain[edit]
Flynn got work as an extra in a film, I Adore You (1933), produced by Irving Asher for Warner Bros. He soon secured a job with the Northampton Repertory Company at the town's Royal Theatre (now part of Royal & Derngate), where he worked and received his training as a professional actor for seven months. He performed at the 1934 Malvern Festival and in Glasgow, and briefly in London's West End.[17]
In 1934 Flynn was dismissed from Northampton Rep. after he threw a female stage manager down a stairwell. He returned to London. Asher cast him as the lead in Murder at Monte Carlo, a "quota quickie" made by Warner Brothers at their Teddington Studios in Middlesex. The movie was not widely seen (it is a lost film) but Asher was enthusiastic about Flynn's performance and cabled Warner Bros in Hollywood, recommending him for a contract. Executives agreed and Flynn was sent to Los Angeles.[18]
Personal life[edit]
Lifestyle[edit]
Flynn developed a reputation for his womanising, hard drinking, chain smoking and, for a time in the 1940s, narcotics abuse.[85] He was addicted to alcohol, tobacco, drugs and sex. He was linked romantically with Lupe Vélez,[86] Marlene Dietrich and Dolores del Río, among many others. Carole Lombard is said to have resisted his advances, but invited him to her extravagant parties.[87] He was a regular attendee of William Randolph Hearst's equally lavish affairs at Hearst Castle, though he was once asked to leave after becoming excessively intoxicated.[88]
The expression "in like Flynn" is said to have been coined to refer to the supreme ease with which he reputedly seduced women, but its origin is disputed.[89] Flynn was reportedly fond of the expression and later claimed that he wanted to call his memoir In Like Me. The publisher insisted on a more lurid title, My Wicked, Wicked Ways.[90][91])
Flynn had various mirrors and hiding places constructed inside his mansion, including an overhead trapdoor above a guest bedroom for surreptitious viewing. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood toured the house as a prospective buyer in the 1970s, and reported, "Errol had two-way mirrors... speaker systems in the ladies' room. Not for security. Just that he was an A-1 voyeur."[92] In March 1955, the popular Hollywood gossip magazine Confidential ran a salacious article titled "The Greatest Show in Town... Errol Flynn and His Two-Way Mirror!"[93] In her 1966 biography, actress Hedy Lamarr wrote, "Many of the bathrooms have peepholes or ceilings with squares of opaque glass through which you can't see out but someone can see in."[94]
He had a Schnauzer dog named Arno, which was specially trained to protect him. They went together to premieres, parties, restaurants and clubs until the dog's death in 1941.[95] On June 15, 1938, during filming, Arno bit Bette Davis on the ankle in a scene where she struck Flynn.[96]
Honors[edit]
In recognition for his contributions to the motion pictures and television industry, Flynn was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. The star for motion pictures is located at 6654 Hollywood Boulevard and the star awarded for television is located at 7008 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California.[1]
Flynn appeared on stage in a number of performances, particularly early in his career:[153]