Biography

The 1930s and 1940s are remembered as the golden era of Hollywood, when monumental films were made and stars were born. Some emerged slowly, but Errol Flynn took the world by storm. His acting talent, gorgeous face and handsome build put him on movie screens everywhere and kept him there for nearly 30 years. To moviegoers, Flynn was a dashing, noble romancer. To his friends, he was a mischievous, witty prankster. In all, he was loved and appreciated by fans everywhere.

Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn was born in the British Commonwealth seaport of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia on June 20, 1909 to Marelle Young and Theodore Thomas Flynn. His father, a distinguished marine biologist, introduced him to the sea at a very young age. Flynn always said the one true love of his life was the ocean. As a child, he excelled in athletics but never chose to be an academic. He attended a number of private schools, spending only a short time at each. By the time he turned twenty, Flynn had already traveled to Sydney, Australia and New Guinea and had attempted several jobs, none lasting more than a few months. Finally, he bought a boat, The Sirocco, and sailed back to New Guinea where he became the manager of a tobacco plantation and wrote for The Sydney Bulletin about life in New Guinea.

In 1933, fate stepped into Flynn's life. An Australian film producer saw a photograph of him and offered him a part in his movie, In the Wake of the Bounty. Flynn had no acting experience, but curiosity drove him to accept the offer. In this job, he found his hidden passion. After Bounty, he felt his new career would not flourish in Australia, so he sailed to London where he could expand his acting career.

Flynn acted at the Northampton Repertory Company for a year and a half. His acting developed well at Northampton, and he was soon offered a contract with Warner Brothers-Teddington studios in England. The managing director offered Flynn a contract before ever seeing him act. Warner Brothers believed his dashing good looks and muscular build would be a sure bet at the box office. He became the star of Murder at Monte Carlo and Warner Brothers-Hollywood studios signed him immediately. Errol Flynn was soon the "debonair romancer" of the world.

By the end of 1935, Flynn had acted in five movies, taking the lead in two of them, Murder at Monte Carlo and Captain Blood. He married French actress Lili Damita and they had a son, Sean. Captain Blood was nominated for best picture and contrived the swashbuckler image that marked the rest of Flynn's career.

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