Tyrone Power. In John Brown's Body, 1953. Photograph by Carl Van Vechten. Courtesy of the Library of Congress (LC-USZ62-103715).

Power, Tyrone (5 May 1914-15 Nov. 1958), actor, was born Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr., in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Frederick Tyrone Power, a prominent actor, and Helen Emma Reaume, an actress (her stage name was Patia Power). In 1920 his parents were divorced, and he and his sister spent most of their childhood with their mother. Though Tyrone was called Jr., he did not actually carry the same name as his father.

Power descended from a long line of theatrical performers: his father was a theater matinee idol who also made a few early films at the beginning of the century; his grandfather, Harold Power, was a lesser known English actor; and his great-grandfather, also named Tyrone Power, was a well-respected stage performer in Ireland and England. His mother was a recognized actress as well. His father gave him acting lessons, and his mother worked with him on voice and diction.

At age seven Power appeared in a supporting role with his mother in a play performed at the San Gabriel Mission. In 1931 he did a short season in Chicago with a Shakespearean repertory company. He then worked with the Santa Barbara Community Theatre for two years. Power also appeared at the Circuit Theatre in Chicago and in summer stock productions in West Falmouth, Massachusetts. He worked with Katharine Cornell in New York, where he had served as general understudy to the three male leads in Flowers of the Forest in 1935. Power later appeared on the New York stage with Cornell as Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet and as Bertrand de Poulengy in Saint Joan (both 1935).

Power did not enter the film industry until after his father had died while shooting a film in 1931. Director Billy Wilder gave him a bit part in Tom Brown of Culver in 1932. He signed a seven-year contract with Twentieth Century-Fox in 1936, based almost solely on his stage work. Power continued his relationship with Fox for sixteen years, taking out four years for military service.

Power appeared in several comedies, such as Love Is News (1937) and its remake, That Wonderful Urge (1948). Epic costume adventure films were also Power's forte; The Black Rose (1950), King of the Khyber Rifles (1953), and Rawhide (1951) were favorites. But one of his first and most lasting successes was his role in Lloyds of London (1936). A New York Times reviewer said, "Power plays a much more vital role than any he has had previously for the screen. Where sheer action and character delineation are concerned, he is excellent" (26 Nov. 1936). In 1941 he played the role of the bullfighter in the film Blood and Sand, a role originated by Rudolph Valentino twenty years earlier.

Power served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1942 to 1946, enlisting as a private and becoming a pilot in 1945. He was discharged as a first lieutenant. When he returned to Hollywood his good looks were fading. Nonetheless, Power continued to get prime roles. Though he had been more successful in light comedies, his range expanded and he moved into a more dramatic realm. He achieved particular success in such films as The Razor's Edge (1946) and Nightmare Alley (1947). He was also successful in such historical romances as Captain from Castille (1947) and The Black Rose (1950).

Power made several successful appearances on the stage later in life, most notably in director Charles Laughton's 1953 touring production of John Brown's Body, costarring Judith Anderson and Raymond Massey. He worked with Cornell again in 1955 at the American National Theatre and Academy (ANTA) Theatre on Broadway in Christopher Fry's verse-driven The Dark Is Light Enough. In 1956 Power toured the United Kingdom in The Devil's Disciple; he had previously had a magnificent run in London playing the lead in Mister Roberts (1950). He returned to Broadway again in 1958 to appear in Back to Methuselah.

Power was married three times. In 1939 he married French actress Annabella (Suzanne Charpentier Murat); their marriage ended in divorce in 1948. Power and actress Linda Christian married in 1949; they had two children before divorcing in 1956. Power then married Deborah Ann Minardos in 1958; they had one child.

Power died of a heart attack while filming King Vidor's Solomon and Sheba in Spain. His last completed film role was as the male lead in the campy Agatha Christie mystery Witness for the Prosecution (1958).

Power was best known for his extreme good looks and pleasant personality, which made him one of the biggest stars for Twentieth Century-Fox in the years before World War II. Performing alongside such romantic leads as Loretta Young and Alice Faye, Power became one of Hollywood's most recognizable leading men and heartthrobs, following the tradition established by Valentino and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.

Power's acting style was regarded by many as rather rigid, and many critics chided his lack of characterization. But his dark, rich, and melodious voice--his primary asset--pleased a multitude of audiences. What Power lacked in talent he made up in flamboyance. He was described by the New York Times in his obituary as "the dashing rescuer of the lady in distress. He was serious and rather stiff, but darkly handsome and always ready to swing across the courtyard, if necessary, to meet his pursuers in head-on battle" (16 Nov. 1958).

The best sources for material on Power are Hector Arce, The Secret Life of Tyrone Power (1979), which contains a full summary of the Power lineage; and Fred Lawrence Guiles, Tyrone Power: The Last Idol (1979), which deals primarily with Power's Hollywood career. Guiles's work is a detailed account of Power's personal and professional life and includes a filmography complete with dates, cast lists, descriptions, and an occasional review. Numerous references to his work can be found in books on Hollywood, including George Carpozi, That's Hollywood: The Matinee Idols (1978); and John Baxter, Hollywood in the Thirties (1968). Other actors' autobiographies and biographies are also a great source of information on Power's life: see John Barrymore, Confessions of an Actor (1926); and George Eells, Ginger, Loretta, and Irene Who? (1976).