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