Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn was one of the first larger-than-life celebrities, an icon of the screen. This major biography uncovers the real story behind the well-cultivated Hollywood myths of this Australian-born actor.

Handsome and charismatic, Errol Flynn was one of the first great screen idols. He mesmerised millions around the world with his swordsmanship, swagger and smouldering sexuality. He portrayed an array of heroes in the Golden Age of Hollywood, and his life off screen was no less colourful.

This groundbreaking biography is the first complete account of Errol Flynn's life, from his unusual childhood in Tasmania and damaging family secrets, to his time in the brutal plantations of New Guinea, and his discovery by a Warner talent spotter. He quickly found fame in lead roles in blockbuster films like Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood. He was the man who had it all, who every man wanted to be, who every woman wanted.

This is a revealing and intimate portrait of Flynn, and gives serious attention to the many women in his life for the first time. Flynn's 1942 rape trial uncovered the sexual trafficking of underage girls in Hollywood on a grand scale. Tragically, he died aged only fifty, the result of a life lived to excess.

'Such a great story. I wish I had written this.' Peter FitzSimons

'Immaculately researched and brilliantly told. Errol Flynn is more gripping than all his movies put together.' Alison Bashford

'O'Brien brilliantly takes us to the dark heart of the world's most famous dream factory and one of its most notorious, and celebrated, habitues.' Frank Bongiorno

About the Author

Associate Professor Patricia A. O'Brien is an historian, author, analyst and commentator on Australia and Oceania. She is a faculty member in Asian Studies at Georgetown University and Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University. She is the author of Tautai and The Pacific Muse, and co-editor of League of Nations, and she writes for The Conversation and The Diplomat.