Tyrone Power: Swashbuckling with the Star Persona
A Film Star Biography
Tyrone Edmund Power III – or 20th Century Fox’s Tyrone Power – was one of the marquee stars of his day, spanning from the 1930s to the late 1950s. Yet, despite his popularity at the time, his name is rarely listed amongst the truly great stars of the era. He came from an acting linage, had true talent, and was dedicated to the craft of performing, but – as this video argues – he was held back by his studio constructed star persona.
Repeatedly cast as the swashbuckler, Power was forever seen as the swashbuckler, the romantic adventurer, and little more. However, between Hollywood extravaganzas, he was able to give many nuanced performances on stage and to a lesser extent on-screen.
This is an exploration of the question of whether stardom, for an actor, can be a trap…
Bibliography
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Filmography
A Yank in the RAF. Henry King. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1941.
Abandon Ship. Richard Sale. Copa Productions. USA/UK. 1957.
Tom Brown of Culver. William Wyler. Universal. USA. 1932.
The Black Swan. Henry King. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1942.
Captain From Castile. Henry King. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1947.
Crash Dive. Archie Mayo. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1943.
Diplomatic Courier. Henry Hathaway. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1952.
Jesse James. Henry King. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1939.
Johnny Apollo. Henry Hathaway. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1940.
King of the Khyber Rifles. Henry King. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1953.
Lloyd’s of London. Henry King. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1936.
The Mark of Zorro. Rouben Mamoulian. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1940.
The Miracle Man. Norman McLeod. Paramount Pictures. USA. 1932.
Nightmare Alley. Edmund Goulding. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1947.
Prince of Foxes. Henry King. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1949.
Rose of Washington Square. Gregory Ratoff. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1939.
The Black Rose. Henry Hathaway. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1950.
The Long Gray Line. John Ford. Columbia. USA. 1955.
The Rains Came. Clarence Brown. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1939.
The Razor’s Edge. Edmund Goulding. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1946.
The Sun Also Rises. Henry King. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1957.
Solomon and Sheba. King Vidor. Edward Small Productions. USA. 1959.
Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake. John Cromwell. 20th Century Fox. USA. 1942.
Witness for the Prosecution. Billy Wilder. Edward Small Productions. USA. 1957.