Johnny Flynn's life from famous brother to attack that left him scarred

Johnny Flynn has joined the cast of MobLand season 2(Image: WIREIMAGE)

MobLand season two has finally landed on Paramount+, home of many bingeable hits, and the gripping crime drama features South African-British actor Johnny Flynn as the London drug baron, Frankie. Flynn, who previously featured in MobLand writer Jez Butterworth's production Jerusalem in 2011, has acting in his blood.

The 43 year old star, who currently resides in London with his wife Beatrice Minns and three children, is the son of Eric Flynn, a British actor and singer recognised for his performances in The Caesars and A Challenge for Robin Hood. He was also a celebrated musical theatre performer, featuring in popular productions like The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady.

Johnny also has a younger sister, vocalist Lillie Flynn, and from his father's previous marriage he has two half-brothers and a half-sister, Kerry Flynn. His half-brothers, Jerome and Daniel Flynn, are both actors with Jerome known for playing Bronn in Game of Thrones and for starring in Ripper Street. Daniel's work includes The Detectives, The Bill, The Crown and Afterlife.

Johnny Flynn's half-brother is Game of Thrones star Jerome Flynn (Image: GETTY)

Flynn has been open about his childhood and his time at school, revealing to Radio Times how he was dispatched to boarding school aged seven and endured severe bullying. He said it was "quite traumatic for me", adding how he felt private schools should "all be burnt to the ground."

Being torn away from his sister and the remainder of his family led him to "develop little nervous tics" and he confessed years afterwards, he still bore the emotional scars, stating: "I suddenly thought, God, there's something quite painful about this."

The star has also been transparent about his appearance, which has left some fans curious, and he explained the origins of the scars on his face. At the age of three, Flynn was attacked by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in South Africa, resulting in the facial scars.

Johnny Flynn has been open about his facial scars which were caused by a dog attack(Image: GETTY)

Speaking to The Guardian in 2020, he opened up about the scar that runs diagonally up from one eyebrow. The dog attack required “a lot of reconstructive surgery, because there wasn’t much left of my lip and my face”. At first he was self-conscious, but now he considers it “quite cool”, adding: “I’d probably still look like a 16-year-old if I didn’t have it.”

Flynn, who was born in South Africa but now lives in London, is also the lead singer and songwriter of the band Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit. He has released six studio albums and also composed and sang the theme song for the comedy series Detectorists.

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He married theatre designer Beatrice Minns in 2011 and the pair had been in and out of each other's lives since secondary school. The pair separated when Minns went to the Winchester School of Art and Flynn to the drama school Webber Douglas, but they later reunited. They have three children - Gabriel, Ida and Lorca.

He previously spoke to Wonderland Magazine about how he is a romantic at heart, following his role in the rom-com film, Emma. He shared: "I like romance. I think there’s something quite nourishing in telling those stories, and people’s hearts being healed and connecting those hearts and it all coming together in a joyous way.

"It’s not part of my design in my career [to choose romantic roles], it’s just that these great opportunities come along. I do these fantastic character roles and played some interesting people, but I also tend to get cast as sort of everyman characters, or someone whom the audience can see themselves, or project themselves on to."

MobLand is broadcast weekly on Paramount+.

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