biography

Sean Flynn Born on May 31, 1941, in Los Angeles to actor Errol Flynn and beautiful French actress Lili Damita, Sean Flynn obviously inherited some great genetic material. After his parents divorced the year following his birth, Sean Flynn was the subject of a lengthy custody battle. In the end, he was raised primarily by his mother, who had retired from acting upon her 1935 marriage to Errol Flynn. During his youth, Flynn spent much time in California, New York, and Florida.

Flynn had appeared on his father's short-lived TV anthology series Errol Flynn Theatre during the show's 1957 season. After graduation from the prestigious preparatory private institution the Lawrenceville School in 1960, he enrolled at Duke University; Flynn had lost his father to a heart attack at age 50 in October 1959, just months beforehand. Sean Flynn, having grown into a tall (6'3") and handsome youth, was a natural for films and soon left college for films.

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LEFT: Sean Flynn with his father Errol Flynn in the 1950s. CENTER: Portugese magazine cover featuring Sean Flynn, circa 1963. RIGHT: Flynn relaxing in 1963

Flynn had appeared on the short-lived TV anthology series Errol Flynn Theatre during the show's 1957 season. After graduation from the prestigious preparatory private institution the Lawrenceville School in 1960, he enrolled at Duke University; Flynn had lost his father to a heart attack at age 50 in October 1959, just months beforehand. Sean Flynn, having grown into a tall (6'3") and handsome youth, was a natural for films and soon left college for Hollywood.

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Flynn in 1963

Thanks to his friend, actor George Hamilton, Flynn made his film debut in a bit role in Where the Boys Are (1960; with Connie Francis, George Hamilton, and Barbara Nichols). In 1961, he accepted the starring role in the swashbuckler Son of Captain Blood (1962; with Alessandra Panaro and Ann Todd). Thrust into the role of actor, Flynn was never comfortable with his newfound career and saw it as a way to make ends meet while he figured out a different path in life.

the films of sean flynn

The Son of Captain Blood (1962)

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Flynn in the title role in the Paramount release Son of Captain Blood

Sign of Zorro (1963)

Sean Flynn

From the Italian swashbuckler Sign of Zorro

Stop Train 349 (1964)

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From the cold war thriller Stop Train 349

Temple of the White Elephant (1964)

Sean Flynn, Mimmo Palmara, and Dakar

Flynn stars in Umberto Lenzi's adventure Temple of the White Elephant. Also pictured are Mimmo Palmara and Dakar

Two Guns for Two Twins (1966)

Sean Flynn

Flynn as Jimmy Trevor in the spaghetti western comedy Two Guns for Two Twins

Seven Magnificent Guns (1966)

Sean Flynn

Scene from Seven Magnificent Guns, one of two spaghetti westerns in which Flynn starred

later years

Although Flynn developed into a credible actor, he was never at ease in front of the camera. Much like his father, he longed for adventure and became bored with acting. He put his career on the back burner after wrapping filming on Temple of the White Elephants (1964; with Mimmo Palmara), moving to Kenya in 1965. However, a lucrative film offer compelled Flynn, who was running out of money, to return to acting in 1966. He made three more films, and after the 1967 comedy Singapore, Singapore, he abandoned his film career entirely for a career as a high-risk photojournalist. In 1966 Flynn began covering the Vietnam War, often on the front lines, and sold his photos and news stories to media outlets around the world. He also covered the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 before returning to Vietnam, always close to the action to get the most dramatic photos. On April 6, 1970, while freelancing for Time magazine, Flynn and his friend Dana Stone, a CBS reporter, disappeared while covering the fighting in Cambodia. Flynn was 28 years old at the time of his disappearance. He and Stone were likely executed by their captors in June 1971. His mother, Lili Damita, spent fourteen years and lots of money hoping to hear something about her son's fate. She had Sean Flynn declared legally dead in 1984. Damita passed away in 1994 at the age of 92.

filmography

FILMS
Singapore, Singapore (1967)
Seven Magnificent Guns (1966)
Two Guns for Two Twins (1966)
Mission to Venice (1964)
Temple of the White Elephants (1964) with Giacomo Rossi-Stuart and Mimmo Palmara
Stop Train 349 (1964) with Jose Ferrer and Jess Hahn
Sign of Zorro (1963) with Helga Line
The Son of Captain Blood (1962) with Ann Todd and Raf Baldassarre
Where the Boys Are (1960) with Connie Francis, Paula Prentiss, Jim Hutton, and Barbara Nichols

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
The Errol Flynn Theatre, episode Strange Auction, originally aired May 17, 1957

sean flynn television appearances

Watch Sean Flynn in a 1957 episode of The Errol Flynn Theatre titled Strange Auction
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This page premiered February 15, 2002.
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