Tyrone Power (born May 5, 1914,Cincinnati,Ohio, U.S.—died November 15, 1958, Madrid, Spain) was an American actor who became amatinee idol in the 1930s and ’40s and was best known for his action-adventurefilm roles.

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Power was born into atheatre family. His Irish great-grandfather and namesake, Tyrone (1795–1841), was a popular actor and comedian; his granduncle Maurice (died 1849) a Shakespearean actor; and his father, Frederick Tyrone (1869–1931), an actor onstage and inHollywood. His mother (1882–1959) also worked as a stage actress under the name Patia Power and as a drama coach. Tyrone’s initial attempts to establish a movie career were unsuccessful, and he moved toNew York City to gain experience on the stage. Power made hisBroadway debut in 1935 inFlowers of the Forest, and later that year he was cast as Benvolio inRomeo and Juliet. His appearance inSaint Joan in 1936 led to an offer from Hollywood, and he signed with20th Century Fox later that year.

Power was cast in minor roles before achieving his first motion-picture success withLloyd’s of London (1936), in which he played the lead. This was followed by starring roles in a series of hits indiversegenres. He appeared inromantic comedies that includedThin Ice (1937),Café Metropole (1937),Second Honeymoon (1937), andDay-Time Wife (1939), as well as the musicalsAlexander’s Ragtime Band(1938),Second Fiddle (1939), andRose of Washington Square (1939). Power’s dramas includedSuez (1938),In Old Chicago (1938),The Rains Came (1939), andBlood and Sand (1941). He also starred in the westernsJesse James (1939) andBrigham Young (1940), thefilm noirJohnny Apollo (1940), and the war picturesA Yank in the R.A.F. (1941) andThis Above All (1942). He was especially noted for the swashbucklersThe Mark of Zorro (1940) andThe Black Swan (1942).

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After serving in theU.S. Marine Corps duringWorld War II, Power returned to the screen in such vehicles asThe Razor’s Edge (1946),Nightmare Alley (1947),Prince of Foxes (1949),The Black Rose (1950),The Eddie Duchin Story (1956), andWitness for the Prosecution (1957). He died while filmingSolomon and Sheba on location inSpain.

Between films, Power kept returning to the stage. His most notable performances there were inMr. Roberts (1950),The Devil’s Disciple (1950),John Brown’s Body (1953),The Dark Is Light Enough (1955), andBack to Methuselah (1958).