Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn was born on 20 June 1909 in Battery Point, Tasmania, Australia. He was the son of Theodore Thomson Flynn, a lecturer and later professor of biology at the University of Tasmania, and Marelle Young Flynn, a descendant of Fletcher Christian of the HMS Bounty mutiny fame. He had a restless and rebellious nature from an early age, and was expelled from several schools for his misbehavior. He developed a passion for adventure and sailing, and left Australia at the age of 18 to seek his fortune in New Guinea. There he worked as a gold prospector, plantation overseer, pearl fisherman, and journalist. He also had several brushes with the law, and was accused of murder, theft, and rape. In 1933, he was discovered by a talent scout from Warner Bros., who offered him a contract to act in films. He moved to Hollywood and made his debut in the Australian film In the Wake of the Bounty (1933), playing Fletcher Christian. His breakthrough role came in 1935, when he starred as the swashbuckling hero Peter Blood in Captain Blood, opposite Olivia de Havilland. The film was a huge success and established Flynn as a leading man and a romantic idol. He went on to star in many other films of the same genre, such as The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), The Sea Hawk (1940), and The Adventures of Don Juan (1948). He also showed his versatility in other genres, such as westerns (Dodge City, 1939), dramas (The Dawn Patrol, 1938), comedies (Never Say Goodbye, 1946), and war films (Objective, Burma!, 1945). He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as George Armstrong Custer in They Died with Their Boots On (1941). Flynn's personal life was as colorful and controversial as his screen persona. He was notorious for his womanizing, drinking, gambling, and drug abuse. He had three marriages and four children, but none of his relationships lasted long. He was involved in several scandals and lawsuits, including two trials for statutory rape in 1942 and 1943, which he managed to win but damaged his reputation. He also had a strained relationship with Warner Bros., who exploited his popularity but did not pay him well or give him artistic freedom. He wrote two autobiographies, Beam Ends (1937) and My Wicked, Wicked Ways (1959), which revealed his adventurous and hedonistic lifestyle. Flynn's health deteriorated rapidly in the 1950s due to his excesses and chronic illnesses. He tried to revive his career by taking more challenging roles in films such as The Sun Also Rises (1957) and Too Much, Too Soon (1958), but his box office appeal had faded. He died on 14 October 1959 at the age of 50 from a heart attack in Vancouver, Canada. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest stars of Hollywood's Golden Age and one of the most charismatic and influential actors of all time.