Want to know the best Errol Flynn movies? How about the worst Errol Flynn movies? Curious about Errol Flynn’s box office grosses or which Errol Flynn movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Errol Flynn movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place.
Even though I consider myself a pretty knowledgeable movie buff, I knew very little about Errol Flynn before researching and writing this page. I basically knew two facts about Errol Flynn. One, he is the most famous Robin Hood of all-time and two, he made some pirate movies.
After a month of reading numerous books, checking out websites and watching a few documentaries on him, I am now much more familiar with the life and career of Errol Flynn. I would highly recommend checking out the Errol Flynn Blog for even more information on the life and times of Errol Flynn….just follow this link….The Errol Flynn Blog.
Errol Flynn (1909-1959) was born in Tasmania. As a child he used to play with a wooden sword that his parents told him had belonged to Fletcher Christian. Many times he would play on his grandfather’s boat…acting out Douglas Fairbanks pirate movies. This training would come in handy when he turned his attention to acting. He would appear in his first film when he was 24. By the time he was 26 he had already secured his first starring role in a big budget movie, Captain Blood. Captain Blood was a huge success and turned Flynn into a star. At 28 he turned into a superstar with his performance as Robin Hood in 1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood.
From 1935 to 1950 Flynn was one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. However his “playboy lifestyle” began to catch up with him. Starting around 1950 his movie career started to stall as his off screen lifestyle started to impact his health. He would regularly smoke at least a pack of cigarettes a day and drank heavily. Problems with his liver and heart eventually led to a fatal heart attack in 1959. Errol Flynn has 64 acting credits from 1933-1959. In the table below Ultimate Movie Rankings ranks 50 of his movies in 7 different sortable columns. Television roles, cameos, and shorts were not included in the rankings.
Errol Flynn Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1938
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
AA Best Picture Nom
1940
The Sea Hawk (1940)
1942
Gentleman Jim (1942)
1935
Captain Blood (1935)
AA Best Picture Nom
1941
They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
1938
The Dawn Patrol (1938)
1939
Dodge City (1939)
1943
Edge of Darkness (1943)
1936
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
1942
Desperate Journey (1942)
1945
Objective, Burma! (1945)
1950
Kim (1950)
1944
Uncertain Glory (1944)
1945
San Antonio (1945)
1937
Green Light (1937)
1943
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
1941
Dive Bomber (1941)
1939
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
1940
Santa Fe Trail (1940)
1948
Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
1937
The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
1943
Northern Pursuit (1943)
1940
Virginia City (1940)
1949
That Forsyte Woman (1949)
1946
Never Say Goodbye (1946)
1948
Silver River (1948)
1938
The Sisters (1938)
1937
The Perfect Specimen (1937)
1958
The Roots of Heaven (1958)
1957
The Sun Also Rises (1957)
1947
Escape Me Never (1947)
1950
Rocky Mountain (1950)
1941
Footsteps in the Dark (1941)
1950
Montana (1950)
1953
The Master of Ballantrae (1953)
1937
Another Dawn (1937)
1952
Against All Flags (1952)
1938
Four's a Crowd (1938)
1947
Cry Wolf (1947)
1952
Mara Maru (1952)
1954
Crossed Swords (1954)
1957
Istanbul (1957)
1958
Too Much, Too Soon (1958)
1955
The Dark Avenger/The Warriors (1955)
1951
Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951)
1954
Let's Make Up (1954)
1955
King's Rhapsody (1955)
1957
The Big Boodle (1957)
1933
In The Wake of the Bounty (1933)
1959
Cuban Rebel Girls (1959)
Errol Flynn Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Errol Flynn movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Errol Flynn movies by adjusted box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Errol Flynn movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)… **** If the domestic totals are the same as the worldwide totals…then worldwide totals are unknown
- Sort Errol Flynn movies by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Errol Flynn movie received.
- Sort Errol Flynn movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
- Blue link in Co-star column takes you to that star’s UMR movie page
| CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score |
| 1 | The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) AA Best Picture Nom |
Olivia de Havilland & Basil Rathbone |
10.00 | 399.3 | 727.1 | 4 | 92 | 04 / 03 | 99.7 | |
| 2 | The Sea Hawk (1940) | Claude Rains | 4.70 | 179.4 | 294.6 | 20 | 85 | 04 / 00 | 97.7 | |
| 3 | Gentleman Jim (1942) | Alexis Smith & Alan Hale |
5.10 | 188.5 | 408.0 | 41 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 97.2 | |
| 5 | Captain Blood (1935) AA Best Picture Nom |
Olivia de Havilland | 3.10 | 139.5 | 317.6 | 27 | 86 | 05 / 00 | 96.8 | |
| 3 | They Died with Their Boots On (1941) | Olivia de Havilland & Anthony Quinn |
6.00 | 232.4 | 498.5 | 15 | 77 | 00 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 7 | The Dawn Patrol (1938) | David Niven | 5.30 | 209.7 | 349.0 | 25 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 7 | Dodge City (1939) | Olivia de Havilland | 6.80 | 260.0 | 389.9 | 14 | 76 | 00 / 00 | 96.6 | |
| 8 | Edge of Darkness (1943) | Walter Huston | 5.80 | 209.3 | 376.7 | 45 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 96.1 | |
| 11 | The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) | David Niven & Olivia de Havilland |
3.90 | 169.0 | 393.3 | 31 | 77 | 03 / 01 | 95.3 | |
| 9 | Desperate Journey (1942) | Ronald Reagan | 5.70 | 213.5 | 297.6 | 28 | 69 | 01 / 00 | 95.0 | |
| 13 | Objective, Burma! (1945) | James Brown | 5.90 | 186.4 | 348.9 | 55 | 70 | 03 / 00 | 94.6 | |
| 12 | Kim (1950) | Dean Stockwell | 8.30 | 185.8 | 344.0 | 12 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 93.5 | |
| 14 | Uncertain Glory (1944) | Paul Lukas & Directed by Raoul Walsh |
4.50 | 150.3 | 273.7 | 77 | 79 | 00 / 00 | 93.4 | |
| 14 | San Antonio (1945) | Alexis Smith | 9.90 | 312.9 | 519.5 | 15 | 61 | 02 / 00 | 93.1 | |
| 16 | Green Light (1937) | Anita Louise | 5.00 | 207.5 | 276.5 | 20 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 92.8 | |
| 16 | Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) | John Garfiled & Olivia de Havilland |
7.20 | 257.0 | 371.8 | 27 | 58 | 01 / 00 | 91.9 | |
| 17 | Dive Bomber (1941) | Fred MacMurray | 5.70 | 218.0 | 324.5 | 17 | 57 | 01 / 00 | 91.8 | |
| 18 | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) | Bette Davis | 3.80 | 147.1 | 248.4 | 50 | 71 | 05 / 00 | 91.8 | |
| 19 | Santa Fe Trail (1940) | Ronald Reagan & Olivia de Havilland |
5.00 | 192.3 | 278.6 | 16 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 91.5 | |
| 20 | Adventures of Don Juan (1948) | Robert Douglas | 5.70 | 153.5 | 338.4 | 57 | 64 | 02 / 01 | 89.8 | |
| 21 | The Prince and the Pauper (1937) | Claude Rains | 4.10 | 170.2 | 280.4 | 39 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 89.5 | |
| 22 | Northern Pursuit (1943) | Julie Bishop | 5.50 | 199.0 | 333.9 | 48 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 89.1 | |
| 25 | Virginia City (1940) | Humphrey Bogart & Randolph Scott |
4.30 | 167.0 | 233.2 | 25 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 87.9 | |
| 23 | That Forsyte Woman (1949) | Greer Garson & Walter Pidgeon |
5.20 | 129.2 | 258.4 | 55 | 68 | 01 / 00 | 87.8 | |
| 24 | Never Say Goodbye (1946) | Eleanor Parker | 4.90 | 151.3 | 216.7 | 65 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 87.7 | |
| 26 | Silver River (1948) | Ann Sheridan | 5.70 | 154.2 | 247.1 | 55 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 87.5 | |
| 28 | The Sisters (1938) | Bette Davis | 3.70 | 147.1 | 214.8 | 46 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 85.6 | |
| 27 | The Perfect Specimen (1937) | Joan Blondell | 3.10 | 130.4 | 211.8 | 69 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 85.5 | |
| 29 | The Roots of Heaven (1958) | Trevor Howard & Directed by John Huston |
8.60 | 154.0 | 154.0 | 25 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 85.3 | |
| 31 | The Sun Also Rises (1957) | Tyrone Power & Ava Gardner |
8.60 | 165.0 | 165.0 | 21 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 85.3 | |
| 32 | Escape Me Never (1947) | Ida Lupino | 6.20 | 181.1 | 234.7 | 45 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 84.9 | |
| 32 | Rocky Mountain (1950) | Patrice Wymore | 4.90 | 109.1 | 176.5 | 56 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 84.5 | |
| 33 | Footsteps in the Dark (1941) | Ralph Bellamy | 2.30 | 89.9 | 147.5 | 103 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 82.5 | |
| 35 | Montana (1950) | Alexis Smith | 6.30 | 141.4 | 234.0 | 33 | 48 | 00 / 00 | 79.8 | |
| 34 | The Master of Ballantrae (1953) | Roger Livesey | 4.80 | 85.8 | 186.4 | 71 | 65 | 00 / 00 | 78.9 | |
| 37 | Another Dawn (1937) | Kay Francis | 2.30 | 94.9 | 173.3 | 103 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 77.5 | |
| 36 | Against All Flags (1952) | Maureen O'Hara & Anthony Quinn |
4.40 | 87.1 | 87.1 | 73 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 77.4 | |
| 38 | Four's a Crowd (1938) | Olivia de Havilland | 2.40 | 96.6 | 150.9 | 94 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 76.2 | |
| 40 | Cry Wolf (1947) | Barbara Stanwyck | 5.00 | 145.0 | 211.8 | 69 | 42 | 00 / 00 | 75.7 | |
| 39 | Mara Maru (1952) | Raymond Burr | 4.20 | 81.7 | 147.3 | 75 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 74.6 | |
| 41 | Crossed Swords (1954) | Gina Lollobrigida | 1.80 | 41.2 | 41.2 | 130 | 68 | 00 / 00 | 68.1 | |
| 43 | Istanbul (1957) | Cornell Borchers | 2.30 | 44.0 | 44.0 | 106 | 63 | 00 / 00 | 62.6 | |
| 43 | Too Much, Too Soon (1958) | Dorothy Malone | 1.50 | 27.7 | 48.5 | 120 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 60.6 | |
| 44 | The Dark Avenger/The Warriors (1955) | Joanne Dru | 2.20 | 44.7 | 44.7 | 132 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 59.8 | |
| 45 | Adventures of Captain Fabian (1951) | Vincent Price | 1.20 | 26.2 | 26.2 | 186 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 44.8 | |
| 46 | Let's Make Up (1954) | Anna Neagle | 1.40 | 33.5 | 33.5 | 141 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 43.2 | |
| 47 | King's Rhapsody (1955) | Anna Neagle | 1.30 | 26.8 | 26.8 | 157 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 32.6 | |
| 48 | The Big Boodle (1957) | Rosanna Rory | 1.40 | 27.6 | 27.6 | 133 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 31.4 | |
| 49 | In The Wake of the Bounty (1933) | Arthur Greenway | 0.00 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 193 | 54 | 00 / 00 | 19.3 | |
| 50 | Cuban Rebel Girls (1959) | Fidel Castro | 0.10 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 176 | 30 | 00 / 00 | 0.8 |
10 Possibly Interesting Facts About Errol Flynn
1. Errol Flynn was the first actor to play Fletcher Christian in a film that had sound. He played Christian in 1933’s The Wake of the Bounty…..later Clark Gable, Marlon Brando and Mel Gibson would play the same part.
2. Errol Flynn and the Perry Mason connection. One of his first Hollywood movies was The Case of the Curious Bride…which was one of the first ever Perry Mason movies. Flynn got to play the corpse. Later Flynn would co-star with Raymond Burr in Mara Maru….Burr would later go on to fame playing Perry Mason on the television series.
3. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland were one of the screen’s most popular couples. They would appear in 9 movies together from 1935 to 1943. Olivia de Havilland is still very much alive as she approaches the century mark.
4. Errol Flynn was married 3 times in his life. His first marriage to Lila Damita produced a son named Sean. His second marriage to Nora Eddington produced two daughters named Deirdre and Rory. His final marriage to Patrice Wymore produced one daughter named Arnella.
5. His son Sean, followed in his dad’s footsteps and has 10 IMDB credits to his name. His most famous movie role was in The Son Of Captain Blood (1962). The Son of Captain Blood was a sequel to the movie that made Errol Flynn famous, Captain Blood(1935). Later Sean Flynn turned towards a career as a freelance photojournalist. Sadly, Sean Flynn went missing while on assignment in Cambodia in 1970.
6. The saying …”In Like Flynn” became popular when Flynn was tried for statutory rape in 1942 but was acquitted….during the very high profile case, comedians of the day started to use the saying and it caught on.
7. His drinking was legendary.…he would inject oranges with vodka and eat them during his breaks so no one would know he was drinking on the set….during a play in the late 1950s his assistant would stage alcohol throughout the set, so Flynn could drink while performing.
8. Errol Flynn and Alan Hale Sr. (one of my favorite character actors) appeared in 11 movies together. Alan Hale Sr. was the father of Alan Hale Jr….better known as The Skipper on Gilligan’s Island.
9. The movie My Favorite Year is based on Mel Brooks’ encounter with Flynn on a television show in the 1950s….in that movie Peter O’Toole played the Flynn character. Also Jude Law portrayed Errol Flynn in The Aviator.
10. Check out Errol Flynn’s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Steve’s Epic Errol Flynn You Tube Video
If you do a comment….please ignore the email address and website section.
Who is “Oliva” de Havilland?
Hey Lee…. Olivia de Havilland is a 2 time Oscar winning actress…..I am not sure who Oliva de Havilland is…..lol…..somehow I managed to misspell her name 8 times in his hub compared to the 9 times I spelled it correctly….thanks for the catch….I can not believe nobody noticed it for the last 2 months.
Great Page! Well done! You can learn more about this actor at the above website.
Hey David DeWitt….thanks for the link to your excellent blog on Flynn…I have really enjoyed navigating around that site….very informative and interesting and a must read for any Flynn fan.
Am a bit young for Flynn, but my grandma loved him. He was a charmer, especially in Robin Hood! Thanks for this share, which I share too!
Hey midget38….he was before my time as well….but luckily my local library has a ton of his movies…and I have been catching up on his work since writing this page. Thanks for sharing the info about your grandmother….I imagine many of our grandmothers thought highly of Errol Flynn…..lol…..thanks for the visit.
I grew up on Errol Flynn movies. I have probably seen them all. You really do a lot of research on your movie pages!
Hey Mary…I have to admit I was not too aware of his career before I wrote this page..but after writing the page I have seen a ton of his movies….I went from 3 movies to 18 movies of his that I have seen. I appreciate the compliment, the votes and the share.
My earliest film memories are watching popular rereleases of the classic Tamil films of the fifties and sixties: there was a popular actor who looked very much like error Flynn and whose films were based on the same stories: captain blood, sea hawk, Robin Hood. Later when I started watching Hollywood films I learned how much those were ‘inspired’ by flynn’s films. Errol to me defines the word swashbuckler: handsome, daring, seductive and devil may care in attitude.
Hey Docmo….I agree with your comment 100%….since I wrote this page I have seen a ton of his movies…..and I really liked his acting style….and he is indeed the perfect Robin Hood and the perfect swashbuckler….I think The Sea Hawk and Captain Blood are my new favorite movies of his…..of course behind Robin Hood…thanks for the visit.