Tyrone Power, Jr., also known as Tyrone Power, III, came from a long line of famous performers. His great-grandfather, also named Tyrone Power, was a famous Irish comedian whose youngest son, Tyrone’s grandfather, Harold Littledale Power, was a stage actor before he married. Tyrone’s grandmother, Ethel Lavenu, was also an actress. His mother, Helen Emma Reaume, was a Shakespearean actress and drama coach. His father, Frederick Tyrone Edmund Power, performed in American theaters for thirty years before starting a second career as a villain in the silent films of D.W. Griffith and other great directors.
Tyrone Power’s Early Years
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr., was born on May 5, 1914, in Cincinnati, Ohio. When his parents divorced, Tyrone and his sister, Anne, remained in close contact with their father. His mother returned to acting and introduced Tyrone to the stage. In December of 1931, Tyrone, who was 17 at the time, was in Chicago performing with his father when Tyrone Power, Sr. suffered a heart attack and died in his son’s arms.
Tyrone Power is offered a Hollywood Screen Test
Tyrone moved to New York where he met actress Katherine Cornell who introduced him to the New York theater scene. He was spotted by Hollywood talent scouts and offered a screen test, and in 1936, he signed with 20th Century Fox. He was assigned to a film with Director Sidney Lanfield who promptly fired him. Actress Alice Faye intervened on his behalf and convinced the studio to keep the young actor.
Tyrone Power becomes a Hollywood Star
Tyrone was given a minor role in the 1936 romance Girls’ Dormitory where he finally attracted the attention of the public, but he still struggled to keep his studio contract. He tested for Lloyd’s of London and was given the lead role as Jonathan Blake with fourth billing. Tyrone’s performance in this film cinched his film career and made him a Hollywood star. The following year, he starred in five films, including Dion O’Leary in the 1937 critically acclaimed drama In Old Chicago. His roles in 1938 were equally strong as Roger Grant in Alexander’s Ragtime Band and Ferdinand de Lesseps in the drama Suez.
Tyrone Power as the Swashbuckling Hero
In 1939, Tyrone Power starred as Jesse James in the film by the same name with Henry Fonda as his costar. Jesse James was the beginning of Tyrone Power’s career as a swashbuckling hero. It was also his first Technicolor film and his first film shot on location. This was the year Tyrone Power was named the second biggest box office draw. In 1940 he played Don Diego Vega in the adventure film The Mark of Zorro and in 1942 he was cast as Jamie Waring in the pirate film The Black Swan.
Tyrone Power’s Military Career
Prior to World War II, Tyrone Power purchased an airplane and took flying lessons. At the time he was drafted he had 180 hours of flight time. He enlisted for active duty with the Marine Corp and logged over 1100 hours of flight time between 1942 and 1945. He was discharged in 1946 as First Lieutenant with an American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, two bronze stars and a World War II Victory Medal. He was later promoted to Captain in the Reserves.
The Final Films of Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power made 22 films after the war. In 1946 he was cast as Larry Darrell in the tragic drama The Razor's Edge. In 1956, Tyrone Power and Ted Richmond started an Independent film company called Copa Productions and produced Abandon Ship! In 1956, Tyrone starred in The Eddy Duchin Story for Columbia Pictures and in 1957 he starred in The Sun Also Rises and Witness for the Prosecution. His performances in these final films are considered to be his finest.
Tyrone Power’s Personal Life
On April 23, 1939, Tyrone Power married French actress Annabella. They adopted their daughter, Ann Power, and appeared to be a devoted and loving couple, but divorced in 1948 amidst rumors of Tyrone Power’s extramarital affair with actress Judy Garland. Tyrone was involved with actress Lana Turner when he met and married actress Linda Christian in 1949. They had two children: Romina Francesca Power and Taryn Stephanie Power. Tyrone Power and Linda Christian divorced in 1956 with rumors of infidelity on both sides. In May of 1958, Tyrone married Deborah Ann Minardos. Their son, Tyrone Power IV, was born on January 22, 1959, two months after the death of his father.
Death and Legacy of Tyrone Power
Like his father so many years before, Tyrone Power died of a heart attack on November 15, 1958. He was filming a dueling scene in Madrid, Spain. In spite of his many outstanding performances and the Oscar-winning films that featured his work, Tyrone Power was never nominated for an Academy Award. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California.
Resources:
Biography: Tyrone Power. Tyrone-Power.Com: King of 20th Century Fox.
M.L. Shettle, Jr. "Tyrone Power: Actor, Marine Corps Aviator." Californians and the Military. California State Military Museum. Retrieved Nov. 1, 2009.
Tyrone Power. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved Nov. 1, 2009.
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