Nora Eddington
Encyclopedia
Nora Eddington is best known as the second wife of actor Errol Flynn
. She was also featured as an actress in several minor film roles.
was taking place. Flynn was acquitted
and they were married in 1944 in Mexico
. Their daughter, Deirdre, was born on January 10, 1945. By the time their second daughter, Rory, was born in March 1947, their marriage was already essentially over. The couple were divorced in 1949, but parted on fairly amicable terms, with Eddington (now Eddington Flynn) given custody of the children.
Shortly after the divorce she married singer Dick Haymes
, on July 17, 1949. She and Haymes had been having an affair for some time, a fact which became public knowledge by way of the gossip columns. Her marriage to Haymes, during which she suffered a miscarriage, lasted four years, a period which Haymes later characterized in an unpublished autobiography as "not a Dick Haymes marriage". After divorcing Haymes she married Richard Black, a marriage which lasted for most of the rest of her life – they had a son named Kevin, who died from leukemia
at the age of 10. Richard and Nora Black divorced sometime before her death.
Eddington was highly critical of Charles Higham
's biography of her first husband, Errol Flynn, the Untold Story, stating to Maggie Daly of the Chicago Tribune
: "I resent Higham's book because it is a fraud. He hasn't come up with a single document about Errol's supposed tie-in with the Gestapo, but continues to go around the country saying he has". Her own book about her life with Flynn, entitled Errol and Me, was published in 1960.
, at Cedars Sinai Hospital
, Los Angeles. She was interred in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
beside her son Kevin.
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
. She was also featured as an actress in several minor film roles.
Background & early life
Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1924, the daughter of Jack Eddington of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's office, Nora Eddington was nineteen when she met Errol Flynn in February 1943 – at the time, she was working at the courthouse where Flynn's notorious 1943 trial for statutory rapeStatutory rape
The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe sexual activities where one participant is below the age required to legally consent to the behavior...
was taking place. Flynn was acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
and they were married in 1944 in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Their daughter, Deirdre, was born on January 10, 1945. By the time their second daughter, Rory, was born in March 1947, their marriage was already essentially over. The couple were divorced in 1949, but parted on fairly amicable terms, with Eddington (now Eddington Flynn) given custody of the children.
Shortly after the divorce she married singer Dick Haymes
Dick Haymes
Richard Benjamin "Dick" Haymes was an Argentine actor and one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, who was an actor, television host, and songwriter....
, on July 17, 1949. She and Haymes had been having an affair for some time, a fact which became public knowledge by way of the gossip columns. Her marriage to Haymes, during which she suffered a miscarriage, lasted four years, a period which Haymes later characterized in an unpublished autobiography as "not a Dick Haymes marriage". After divorcing Haymes she married Richard Black, a marriage which lasted for most of the rest of her life – they had a son named Kevin, who died from leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
at the age of 10. Richard and Nora Black divorced sometime before her death.
Eddington was highly critical of Charles Higham
Charles Higham (biographer)
Charles Higham is an author, editor and poet. Higham is a recipient of the Prix des Créateurs of the Académie Française and the Poetry Society of London Prize.-Biography:...
's biography of her first husband, Errol Flynn, the Untold Story, stating to Maggie Daly of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
: "I resent Higham's book because it is a fraud. He hasn't come up with a single document about Errol's supposed tie-in with the Gestapo, but continues to go around the country saying he has". Her own book about her life with Flynn, entitled Errol and Me, was published in 1960.
Death
Nora Eddington died in 2001, aged 77, after a long battle with kidney diseaseRenal failure
Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
, at Cedars Sinai Hospital
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Originally established as Kaspare Cohn Hospital in 1902, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, tertiary 958-bed hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre located in Los Angeles, California, US. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over...
, Los Angeles. She was interred in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood....
beside her son Kevin.
Filmography
This is a partial list only. She starred in a few films only, roles mostly arising through her connection with Errol Flynn.- Adventures of Don JuanAdventures of Don JuanAdventures of Don Juan, known in the United Kingdom as The New Adventures of Don Juan, is a 1948 adventure Technicolor romance film made by Warner Bros...
(1948). - Cruise of the Zaca (1952).