Tyrone Power was born 108 years ago today in Cincinnati, Ohio. He came from a long line of Tyrone Powers (his great-grandfather was the first of four) and a long line of actors, too, reaching back to the 18th century. Powers kept very busy as an actor on stage and screen (he took a break to serve in World War II), but we think it’s not unfair to suggest that he’s better remembered for his good looks than for his acting work. A quick online search turns up quote after quote from his Hollywood contemporaries commenting on his handsome appearance.
Our favorite Tyrone Power film is perhaps the darkest he appeared in, the 1947 film noir classic, Nightmare Alley, in which he plays a carnival con-man whose life and career are spiraling out of control.
Power died of at age 44 of a heart attack suffered while shooting a dueling scene for Solomon and Sheba (1959). His role had to be recast for that film, though it’s said Power is still visible in certain of the film’s long shots.
