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Errol Flynn, Death of an Icon
By Chris Gunsock
Errol Flynn was one of the early Hollywood superstars. He burst on the scene in 1935 in Captain Blood and he proceeded to dominate the all-action, swashbuckling roles for the next decade in films such as Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). He was a natural athlete, excelling at boxing and tennis, and with his exceptional good looks he reigned supreme. By the early 1940's he had become practically a Hollywood deity. For a time his life seemed the epitome of every man's dream, he was handsome, immensely rich and world-famous, his days and nights full of beautiful, available women, adventures in foreign climes and new challenges always on the horizon. But it did not last. His downfall was spectacular and almost entirely self-inflicted. He had always had a prediliction for drink, young women and brawling which made the Hollywood Studio Executives nervous and in 1942 he was put on trial on statutory rape charges - sex with girls under the age of eighteen. If convicted, he could have spent the next twenty-five years in prison.
He was acquitted but was nevertheless deeply affected by the experience. He began to decline, both physically and mentally. His drinking increased and his appearance changed markedly. By the mid 1950s, Flynn had become a physical wreck. Heavy alcohol and drug abuse had left him prematurely aged and bloated and was almost unbearable to see in one who had been worshipped for his looks. His box-office appeal was lessening and as his debts grew larger, Flynn left for Europe to make a few films, including The Master of Ballantrae (1953) and Crossed Swords (1954). The final blow for Flynn came when he lost his entire fortune on an ill-fated attempt to film the story of William Tell. Four months after turning 50, Flynn's years of hard living caught up with him and he died of a heart attack on October 14, 1959. According to the coroner's report, his body was so bloated by illness and ravaged by substance abuse that it looked as if it belonged to a much older man. Flynn's body was flown back to to America and buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Interred with him are 6 bottles of whisky, purchased for him as a parting gift from his drinking cronies. A sadly fitting memorial perhaps.
This intel first appeared on: http://hubpages.com/hub/Errol-Flynn--A-Hollywood-Death
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This intel was contributed by gunsock
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May, 2012
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