Patricia O'Brien will be in conversation with Frank Bongiorno on her new book Errol Flynn The true story of Australia's Hollywood icon.

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

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 an Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Pacific Affairs at Australian National University, Canberra, where she was an Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the School of History from 2014 to 2019. Patricia is the author of Tautai and The Pacific Muse, and co-editor with Joy Damousi of League of Nations: Histories, Legacies and Impact and is also a regular contributor to The Conversation and The Diplomat.

Professor Frank Bongiorno AM FAHA FASSA is Donald Horne Professor of History and Public Ideas at the University of Canberra. He is currently President of the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. He is Emeritus Professor at the ANU and a Whitlam Institute Distinguished Fellow at Western Sydney University. His most recent book is Dreamers and Schemers: A Political History of Australia.

The vote of thanks will be given by Cris Kennedy, Manager Public Engagement. Royal Australian Mint and Canberra film critic.

Books will be available for signing from 5.30pm and again after the event.

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A podcast will be made available after the event.

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