Tyrone Power was one of the most beloved swashbuckling heartthrobs of the mid-twentieth century,
but his story is significantly more scandalous than you probably realize.
He was no stranger to controversy in his personal life and left behind a trail of broken hearts
and hurt feelings wherever he went.
Power seduced some of Hollywood's most sought-after leading ladies – and a few of Tinsel Town's
most eligible bachelors as well.
He was the third Tyrone Power from a famous acting dynasty that had been active in the
entertainment industry as far back as the eighteenth century.
His great-granddad, the very first Tyrone Power, was a famous Irish comedian, while
his father, known as Tyrone Power Sr., was a massive theater star who eventually transitioned
to films.
Clearly, acting was in his blood, and it didn't hurt that he was also ridiculously handsome.
Unfortunately, Tyrone's looks coupled with his lack of inhibitions, often landed him
in a great deal of hot water.
Tyrone has been called Hollywood's first action star, but even though he was tremendously
talented and was no doubt dedicated to his craft, his career eventually faltered.
He was married three times and it's speculated that his many extramarital affairs may have
contributed to the decline of his Hollywood career.
If this is true, he really had no one to blame but himself for how things played out for
him in the professional arena.
That being said, he had little control over how he met his untimely end.
Tyrone was just 44 years old when he passed away suddenly on November 15, 1958.
Join Facts Verse as we explore the life and career of one of classic Hollywood's biggest
flames and how he may have ended his own career with his numerous affairs.
But before we get to his tangled love life, let's briefly review some of his career highlights.
Tyrone's Life And Career
Tyrone Edmund Power Jr, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1914.
He was a frail child who was prone to illness.
When he was still young, his family relocated to southern California, in hopes that the
warmer climate would be better suited for young Tyrone's fickle health.
After his parents got divorced, however, Tyrone and his sister Anne Power returned to Cincy
to live with their mother.
While living there, Tyrone attended school while developing his love for theater and
acting.
Even though he was raised by his mother, he stayed in touch with his father who actively
encouraged him to chase his dreams of acting.
Tyrone's first job in the entertainment industry was serving as a stagehand for his father
during his production of The Merchant of Venice in Chicago.
A year later, he was there to hold his dad as she died unexpectedly from a heart attack.
Despite being strikingly attractive, young Tyrone struggled to find meaningful work in
Hollywood.
Early in his career, he appeared in a few minor roles, but then he traveled east to
do stage work.
In 1936, he landed a contract with 20th Century Fox after a successful screen test.
Quickly after that, he progressed to scoring leading roles.
Within a little more than a year, Tyrone was one of Fox's most popular leads.
He effortlessly shined in either contemporary or period pieces, dazzling directors and producers
in the process.
Most of these roles were flashy but lacked depth, and often his physical prowess was
lauded more than his delivery of lines.
During World War II, Tyrone served in the Marine Corp as a transport pilot.
He even saw a bit of action in the Pacific Theater.
Once the war was over, he got right back to acting and proceeded to receive some of his
best reviews for his role as Stanton Carlisle, a mentalist whose lies and deceptions proved
to be his undoing in 1947s Nightmare Alley.
Even though he remained a major star, many of his postwar films were relatively forgettable.
Never abandoning his love for theater, Tyrone continued to do noteworthy stage work while
also producing several films.
After giving a remarkable performance in Billy Wilder's 1957 film Witness for the Prosecution,
Power got to work producing 1959s Solomon and Sheba.
Halfway through filming, however, he suddenly collapsed during a duel scene with actor George
Sanders.
He was immediately rushed to the hospital via an ambulance but passed away before he
got there.
His death ultimately was attributed to a heart attack.
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Tyrone's Marriages
Power was one of Tinsel Town's most eligible bachelors until he got married to famed French
actress Annabella on the 14th of July, 1939.
The two met on the 20th Century Fox lot while they were co-starring in the film 1939 Suez.
Power eventually adopted Annabella's daughter Anne before going off to serve his country
in World War II.
After Tyrone returned from serving in the military, his marriage began to crumble.
One of the reasons why their marriage fell apart was Annabella's inability to give Power
the son he always wanted.
In a 1947 interview published in Photoplay, Power was quoted as saying that he always
wanted a home and children – especially a son to carry on his legacy.
Beyond just that one issue, the war also took a toll on their relationship.
Annabella, being a French-born woman, experienced the cruel realities of war earlier than Tyrone
did as an American.
Once the war had engulfed Europe, she became irritable and unhappy.
Try as they did to make their marriage work, it eventually became clear that it was doomed.
After separating from Annabella, Power began having an affair with Lana Turner.
In 1948, Turner became pregnant with Power's child but chose to get an abortion.
That same year, while on a goodwill trip around the globe with his friend Bob Buck, Power
met and fell madly in love with the Mexican actress Linda Christian.
Turner believed that Power had become upset with her after a story leaked to the press
about her dining out with Frank Sinatra.
To get back at her for dating another man in his absence, Turner alleges that Power
began dating another woman.
Regardless of how their romance began, Power and Christian developed a close bond and were
married on January 27, 1949, in a ceremony held at the Church of Santa Francesca Romana
in Rome.
Power and Christian desperately wanted to have a child together, but after miscarrying
three times, they began to lose hope.
In 1951, however, Christian gave birth to a daughter named Romina Francesca Power..
Two years later, she gave birth to another daughter, Taryn Stephanie Power.
Around this time, though, Power and Christian's marriage began to fall apart.
Christian blamed their eventual split on Tyrone's numerous extramarital affairs.
Although, she also acknowledged that she had an affair of her own with English actor Edmund
Purdom.
In 1955, their divorce was finalized.
After the divorce, Power had a long affair with Mal Zetterling, whom he met while on
the set of the film Abandon Ship.
Around this time, he vowed to never remarry seeing as how he had been dealt a pretty nasty
financial blow by his previous failed marriages.
After breaking things off with Zetterling, Power had an affair with actress Thelma Ruby.
In 1957, he met Debbie Minardos, and the two got married on the 7th of May, 1958.
So much for never marrying again!
Shortly after tying the knot, Minardos got pregnant and finally gave Tyrone the son he
always wanted.
Tyrone Power IV, or Tyrone Power Jr, as he would later be billed once he started pursuing
his own acting career, was born on January 22, 1959.
Rumors Of Bisexuality
The 1979 book The Secret Life of Tyrone Power: The Drama of a Bisexual in The Spotlight by
Hector Arce alleges that Power was a practicing bisexual who slept with some of Hollywood's
biggest male stars.
Among those that Power is said to have had sexual relationships with include composer
Lorenz Hart and actor Cesar Romero.
The latter even gave interviews providing details of Power's bisexual activity after
the star's death.
While many of the claims made in Arce's book have come under scrutiny, it's well known
that Power had many gay friends in his inner circle.
He was particularly close to gay director George Cukor and actors Lori McCallister,
Cary Grant, Clifton Webb, Reginald Gardner, and Van Johnson.
He was also friends with the bi-sexual eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes.
It's also been reported that one of Power's longest same-sex relationships was with a
20th Century Fox technician with whom he maintained a romance that lasted decades.
Like most gay and bi Hollywood stars, Power would have lived in constant fear of being
outed.
Although filmmaker Darryl Zanuck was very fond of Tyrone and cast him in several of
his films, he was evidently afraid of losing one of his biggest moneymaking stars if the
truth of his bisexuality went public.
After Power Married Annabella, Zanuck was reassured that Power's little secret was safely
buried, but he then began to worry that Power's female fans would be taken aback by the news
of their marriage.
Throughout his marriage with Annabella, Arce's book claims that Power continued to have affairs
with both men and women.
It also alleges that he carried on a long and passionate affair with Judy Garland around
this time.
After serving in the Marines, it's claimed that Power had a relationship with actor Cesar
Romero while the two took a six-week trip to South America.
Rumors of his same-sex liaisons continued to persist throughout his subsequent two marriages
as well.
In British actor Bob Monkhouse's 1994 autobiography, Crying with Laughter, he claimed that he had
rejected Power's sexual advances on more than one occasion.
The fashion critic Mr. Blackwell likewise detailed romantic moments he shared with Power
in his dressing room in his 1995 autobiography.
According to author Charles Higham in his book Errol Flynn: The Untold Story, Power
and Flynn had a sexual relationship as well.
We're just about out of time, but we'd love to hear your take on things?
Do you think there's strong enough evidence to suggest that Tyrone Power was bisexual,
or do you think that these claims are baseless?
Let us know in the comments.
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