(1914-1957)
Considered by many to be one of the most handsome, charming stars of Hollywood's "Golden Era" (a uselessly vague period, usually defining the years from 1935-1955), Tyrone Edmund Power was born into a family of actors and entertainers. His family lineage includes many involved in the performative arts:
Note: The conventions used for distinguishing all of the male members of the family named Tyrone seem to vary.
Tyrone "The Elder" Power (1795-1841)
Great-Grandfather
The patriarch of the family was an extremely successful comedian in his native Ireland, and later in America as well. Despite his success, however, his son, Harold Power, did not become an actor, and in fact thought very little of the profession, seeking to prevent his son from pursuing it.
Frederick Tyrone Edmund Power (1869-1931)
Father, also called Tyrone Power, Sr.
Son of Harold, he was a Shakespearean actor who came to America from England in 1883. After ignoring his father's wish that he not enter the theatre, he became a moderately famous stage actor, and eventually made the transition into silent film in 1914. Despite being an alcoholic and habitually unfaithful husband, he was a supportive father and encouraged his son (the subject, after all, of this node) to become an actor, as was his inclination.
So...
Tyrone Edmund Power was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was an appallingly sickly child. His health improved with age, however, and he developed a love for performance. With his father's aid, he began to practice acting and made his debut in 1932's Tom Brown of Culver, although he still had tremendous difficulty finding work.
Hired as a character actor by Twentieth Century Fox in 1936, he achieved his first fame two years later in Llyod's of London. Soon thereafter, his acting career was established as numerous, successful projects came his way. In 1940, he starred in his most remembered role as the protagonist of The Mask of Zorro.
Like many celebrities of the time, Power decided to involve himself in World War II, elisting in the Marine Corps in 1942. He served as a pilot, and was commended for his dutiful courage during the war. He was honorably discharged in 1946.
After the war, his career continued to earn him critical acclaim, and he established a production company to gain more control over his films. His work during this period is probably his best.
His personal life, of course, was marred by difficulties, particularly his three marriages and many love affairs. He was, however, considered to be a sex symbol of sorts, and there is no indication that he was notably unhappy.
He retains many fans, who admire his work for a number of reasons: he was an attractive and charming representative of masculinity, he was involved in several classic films, and his later work often displays impressive acting ability.
He died, like his father, of a heart attack. On set, in 1958, after a difficult day of physically demanding scenes, he collapsed and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
A list of his work would be impossibly long, but is available at www.imdb.com.