Theodore Thomson Flynn (11 October 1883 – 23 October 1968) was an Australian zoologist and marine biologist and a professor in both

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He was the father of the actor

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

Biography

Theodore Thomson Flynn was born in

Coraki, New South Wales Coraki is a small town that sits on the confluence of the Richmond and Wilson Rivers in northern New South Wales, Australia in Richmond Valley Shire. At the 2016 census, Coraki had a population of 1,277 people. Material was copied from this s ...

, Australia, the son of Jessie B. (née Thomson) and John Flynn. He became a biology lecturer at the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

in 1909, becoming professor in 1911 and teaching there until 1930. He married Lily Mary (Marelle) Young on 23 January 1909; they had one child together, the film actor

. Flynn and his family then moved to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

where he served as the Chair of Zoology at

Queen's University of Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

from 1931 to 1948; he also became director of the marine station at

Portaferry Portaferry () is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula, near the Narrows at the entrance to Strangford Lough. It is home to the Exploris aquarium and is well known for the annual Gala Week Flo ...

. After the

Belfast Blitz The Belfast Blitz consisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small attack ...

, Flynn was the chief casualty officer for the city. On 1 January 1945, Flynn was awarded an

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for his service. Flynn named one new species of sub-tropical kelpfish he discovered – ''Gibbonsia erroli'' – after his son. Flynn died in

Liss, Hampshire Liss (previously spelt Lys or Lyss) is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north-east of Petersfield, on the A3 road, on the West Sussex border. It covers 3,567 acres (14 km2) o ...

, England.

Legacy

Flynn Lake,

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 197 ...

was named after Flynn.

References

External links

Australian Dictionary of National Biography entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Theodore Thomson 1883 births 1968 deaths 20th-century Australian zoologists Academics of Queen's University Belfast Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom Australian marine biologists Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Zoological Society of London People from New South Wales Members of the Royal Irish Academy Members of the Order of the British Empire University of Tasmania faculty