7 Surprising Facts You Didn’t Know About Actors Who Played Robin Hood
Robin Hood, along with Maid Marian, the Merry Men, and the Sheriff of Nottingham, has been a legendary figure in folklore since the 14th century. Known for stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, Robin Hood remains one of the most iconic heroes in film and television history, captivating audiences with his wit, charm, and compassion.
The bow-wielding, green-tights-wearing Robin Hood we know today has been brought to life by many actors over the years. Silent film star Douglas Fairbanks first portrayed him in 1922, but it was Errol Flynn’s iconic 1930s performance that truly captured audiences’ hearts. Since then, actors like Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe — as well as Disney’s 1973 animated classic — have kept the legendary outlaw alive on screen. And this summer, Hugh Jackman will offer a new take on the timeless hero with The Death of Robin Hood.
Here, we explore fun facts about Robin Hood and a few of the actors who have portrayed this enduring legend.
1 Robin Hood legend Errol Flynn died young & nearly bankrupt
20th Century Fox Film Corp./courtesy Everett Collection
Errol Flynn had a tragic and bizarre end to his adventurous career and life, dying nearly penniless at age 50. Flynn died of a heart attack on Oct. 14, 1959, while in Canada trying to sell his beloved yacht. Upon his death, the world found out that he was with his 17-year-old girlfriend, whom he had been dating for a few years.
2 Errol Flynn once put a snake in Olivia de Havilland’s panties
Everett Collection
Before 1938’s Technicolor The Adventures of Robin Hood, Errol Flynn catapulted to fame as another swashbuckler in Captain Blood. In his autobiography, Flynn admitted he had an attraction to frequent costar, Olivia de Havilland, and shared an odd anecdote. “There was the time she found a dead snake in her panties as she went to put them on. She was terrified, and she wept. She knew very well who was responsible.”
3 Cary Elwes thought he was being pranked when asked to play Robin Hood.
20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection
In Mel Brooks‘ 1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Cary Elwes played the titular character and actually finessed his fencing skills further (thank you, The Princess Bride) and sharpened up on archery, so the parody appeared somewhat realistic.
When Brooks originally called Elwes to discuss the project, he hung up, believing he was being pranked. “He called back, and he said, ‘Don’t hang up, it’s really me!’” Elwes told Den of Geek in 2014. “I apologized, but I couldn’t believe he was calling me.”
4 Russell Crowe refused to wear tights
David Appleby/Universal/courtesy Everett Collection
When Russell Crowe took on the role of the famed hero, opposite Cate Blanchett in 2010’s Robin Hood, the too-cool-for-school Crowe wasn’t about to don some form-fitting tights for this reiteration — he was looking for a Robin with grit.
“I apologize to everybody who wants tights,” Crowe told the Chicago Tribune. “That never made sense to me, right! You’re a bloke, you live in the forest, and you wear tights? You climb up and down trees … you presumably get into some brambles and stuff. Are you sure that tights are the best thing to wear? Plus, they weren’t even invented for another three or four hundred years, so we just went with the practical.”
5 Kevin Costner hunted for ‘shrooms
Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection
On a segment of The Rich Eisen Show, Kevin Costner talked about his time working on 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, where one of the guys on the set asked him to go mushroom hunting during a break. He agreed but was initially unsuccessful in finding any, whereas his partner was finding one after another. He asked him how he’s seeing them all: “Well, you have a mushroom, and then they tell you where to find the others.” He passed on the opportunity then, but shared that he did find some after work, “and they told you exactly where to find them.”
6 Sean Connery made $250,000 for one day’s work.
Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
Sean Connery appeared for just two minutes in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as King Richard. He received a whopping quarter million dollars for just a day’s work, which he would later donate. He was first offered the role of Lord Locksley but turned it down since he felt he had been playing too many fatherly roles at the time.
7 Hugh Jackman will be the next Robin Hood
Aidan Monaghan/A24/Courtesy Everett Collection
The Greatest Showman Hugh Jackman will star in a dark retelling as an older, grizzled Robin Hood, opposite Bill Skarsgård’s Little John, The Death of Robin Hood, due out in theaters June 2026.
Fun fact: Hugh is a good friend of another Robin Hood and fellow Aussie, Russell Crowe.
Bonus: How did Alice Cooper end up with Errol Flynn’s sword through his leg?
Although not quite sure what movie his onstage sword came from, rocker Alice Cooper told Sirius XM that he once owned a sword from Errol Flynn. During a performance, he was working with the sword, and it went “right through my leg. And when you have that much adrenaline onstage, it hurts, but it doesn’t hurt that much,” Cooper explained.
Despite his wound spurting out blood, and the audience thinking it was all part of the show, Cooper continued with the performance until the end of the show, when the sword was removed. Cue the real agony.
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April 2026
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