Born in Tasmania in 1909, he prospected for gold, smuggled diamonds, and worked on ships. He was the first Australian actor to become a major Hollywood star. Who was this man, who died in 1959?

Long before he ever picked up a sword on screen, Errol Flynn lived a life of adventure that could have been a movie itself. Born in Tasmania, Australia, in 1909, he spent his youth seeking his fortune in the wilds of New Guinea. During this period, he worked a series of odd jobs, from a plantation overseer to a ship's crewman. He also engaged in more dubious pursuits, including prospecting for gold and allegedly smuggling diamonds, creating a real-life backstory that perfectly matched the daring characters he would later portray.

This rugged background caught the attention of Hollywood, and his breakthrough role in "Captain Blood" (1935) instantly made him a star. He became the definitive swashbuckling hero of his era, famous for his athletic grace and charismatic charm in films like "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "The Sea Hawk." As the first Australian-born actor to achieve this level of international stardom, he paved the way for generations of performers to come.

Flynn's off-screen life was just as notorious as his on-screen one. His reputation for hard-partying and romantic escapades was legendary, and is often credited with coining the phrase "in like Flynn." This hedonistic lifestyle took a toll on his health, and he died of a heart attack in 1959 at the age of just 50, cementing his legacy as a true Hollywood legend who lived and died by his own rules.