# Jerome Flynn
**Jerome Flynn** (Jerome Patrick Flynn, born 1963) is an English actor and singer, known for playing Paddy Garvey in the ITV drama *Soldier Soldier*, Bronn in the HBO series *Game of Thrones*, and Sergeant Bennet Drake in the BBC's *Ripper Street*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) In the mid-1990s he and his *Soldier Soldier* co-star [Robson Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/robson-green) recorded as the pop duo [Robson & Jerome](https://www.edgepedia.org/robson-and-jerome), whose version of "Unchained Melody" was the best-selling single of 1995 in the United Kingdom.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963, Kent, England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jerome-flynn/credits/3030204285/) |
| Signature TV roles | Paddy Garvey in *Soldier Soldier* (ITV, 1991–97); Bronn in *Game of Thrones* (2011–2019, 37 episodes); Bennet Drake in *Ripper Street*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) |
| Pop career | As Robson & Jerome, "Unchained Melody" spent 7 weeks at number 1 on the UK chart and was the best-selling single of 1995; two further number 1 singles followed[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) |
| Training | Three-year acting course at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, starting at age 18[3](https://jeromeflynn.com/profile/) |
| Later roles | Banner Creighton in *1923* (2022–2025, 15 episodes); cast in series two of *Alien: Earth*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492/) • [4](https://rts.org.uk/article/tracey-ullman-sam-spruell-and-game-thrones-star-jerome-flynn-joins-series-two-alien-earth) |
| Awards | Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award; 2 wins and 7 nominations total per IMDb[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) |
## Early life and training
Flynn was born in Kent; [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) gives his birthplace as Bromley, Kent, while his own profile names Farnborough Hospital, Kent.[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jerome-flynn/credits/3030204285/) • [3](https://jeromeflynn.com/profile/) He grew up in the countryside outside [Sevenoaks](https://www.edgepedia.org/sevenoaks), where his family kept a cheap, run-down house on land from a relative and grew their own vegetables.[3](https://jeromeflynn.com/profile/) Acting ran in the family: his father, Eric Flynn, was an established musical-theater performer who starred as Ivanhoe in the early 1970s, and his older brother Daniel Flynn is also an actor.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html) His half-brother is the actor and folk singer [Johnny Flynn](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-flynn) and his half-sister is the performer Lillie Flynn.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html)
School plays changed his direction. After taking the lead role of John Proctor in a Sevenoaks Youth Theatre production of *The Crucible* at 17, he decided to pursue acting, abandoned his English A Level, and at 18 began a three-year course at the Central School of Speech and Drama in [Swiss Cottage](https://www.edgepedia.org/swiss-cottage), London.[3](https://jeromeflynn.com/profile/) During his final year he sang with a group called Carte Blanche, touring clubs including Maxim's de Paris.[3](https://jeromeflynn.com/profile/) His first screen work included a 1985 episode of the PBS anthology *American Playhouse*, "Displaced Person," based on a Kurt Vonnegut Jr. story.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jerome-flynn/)
## Soldier Soldier and Robson & Jerome
In 1990 Flynn was cast as Corporal Paddy Garvey of the King's Fusiliers in the ITV series *Soldier Soldier*, a role that made him a household name in Britain.[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jerome-flynn-being-a-pop-star-it-was-a-disney-ride-8430211.html) While filming, he and co-star Robson Green sang a duet of [The Righteous Brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-righteous-brothers)' "Unchained Melody" in an episode aired in November 1994.[7](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/robson-green-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-tv-star) The public response caught the attention of [Simon Cowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-cowell), who after four months of calls persuaded the pair to sign a recording contract as Robson & Jerome.[7](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/robson-green-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-tv-star)
The single went straight to number 1 on the UK chart and stayed there for seven weeks, becoming the best-selling UK song of 1995.[7](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/robson-green-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-tv-star) Sales figures differ by source: IMDb states more than a million copies,[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) while a TV Insider profile gives nearly two million.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jerome-flynn/) The duo had two further number 1 singles, "I Believe" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", and released albums that also topped the charts before ending their pop career.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) • [7](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/robson-green-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-tv-star) Robson & Jerome are said to have earned Cowell his first million.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html) Flynn later described the experience as "like being on a Disney ride," saying it became overwhelming and unreal.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html)
## Departure from acting
*Soldier Soldier* ended in 1997.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) Flynn starred as Eddie Wallis alongside Green in the comedy-drama *Ain't Misbehavin'* (1997), led the short-lived police show *Badger* in 1999, played [Bobby Charlton](https://www.edgepedia.org/bobby-charlton) in the 1999 film *Best*, and toured the UK for two years playing the comic magician [Tommy Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/tommy-cooper) in *Jus' Like That*, a one-man tribute written by [John Fisher](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-fisher) and directed by Simon Callow.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) • [5](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jerome-flynn-being-a-pop-star-it-was-a-disney-ride-8430211.html)
He then largely left acting. He explained the decision as "a combination of being a bit disillusioned with the industry and a bit resentful about how much time acting seemed to take up."[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jerome-flynn-being-a-pop-star-it-was-a-disney-ride-8430211.html) Press reports at the time claimed he had moved to India with an American guru; in fact he lived in London's Belsize Park within a spiritual community called Enlightenment, run by the American teacher Andrew Cohen, which mixed Hindu mysticism and Tibetan Buddhism. Flynn spent about eight years there, describing it as "equivalent to being a monk for eight years," and later said he left partly to be closer to his family after his father's death.[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jerome-flynn-being-a-pop-star-it-was-a-disney-ride-8430211.html) • [8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html) Eric Flynn died of cancer in 2002 at the age of 62.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html)
Flynn settled in [Pembrokeshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/pembrokeshire), west Wales, restoring a Georgian farmhouse bought with his earnings from the pop years, and in 2007 directed and starred in the low-budget film *Rude Tales*, screened at a small number of independent cinemas in the area.[5](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jerome-flynn-being-a-pop-star-it-was-a-disney-ride-8430211.html) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) From 2007 he provided the voice of Daniel the hound in the CBeebies children's show *Tommy Zoom*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jerome-flynn/)
## Return: Game of Thrones and Ripper Street
In July 2010, after almost ten years away from acting, it was confirmed that Flynn would play Bronn, the mercenary bodyguard of [Tyrion Lannister](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyrion-lannister), in HBO's *Game of Thrones*, adapted from [George R. R. Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-r-r-martin)'s *A Song of Ice and Fire* novels.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) He has said the audition came about by chance while visiting London, and that preparing in his brother's kitchen he pulled a cupboard onto his face, and the resulting bruise helped him find the character.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html) He played Bronn from 2011 to 2019 across 37 episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) In the show's seventh season his character fired a Scorpion crossbow at the dragon Drogon during the Loot Train Battle, a scene Flynn joked had made him unpopular with fans, saying his postman would no longer speak to him because he "shot the dragon."[9](https://time.com/4897046/game-of-thrones-bronn-on-spoils-of-war/)
Richard Warlow, the writer of the BBC period crime drama *Ripper Street*, was a *Game of Thrones* fan and wanted Flynn for the role of Sergeant Bennet Drake, a detective in a fictional division of the 1890s [Whitechapel](https://www.edgepedia.org/whitechapel) police, alongside Matthew Macfadyen and Adam Rothenberg.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html) The series ran for four series and was filmed in Dublin.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) • [8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html) Flynn also appeared in the 2016 *Black Mirror* episode "Shut Up and Dance" as Hector.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jerome-flynn/)
## Recent work
Flynn plays Banner Creighton in the Paramount western series *1923*, appearing in 15 episodes from 2022 to 2025.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492/) His other credits include the TV movie *The Trick* (2021) as Neil Wallis, the series *The Change* (2023–2025) as Pig Man, the animated film *Loving Vincent*, and *John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum* (2019) as Berrada.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) In 2019 he said he had been cast in Amazon Prime Video's adaptation of Stephen King's *The Dark Tower*; IMDb lists a 2020 *Dark Tower* TV movie in which he played Steven Deschain.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492) In 2025 the Royal Television Society reported that he had joined series two of *Alien: Earth*, the FX sci-fi drama created by Noah Hawley and the first television series in the Alien franchise.[4](https://rts.org.uk/article/tracey-ullman-sam-spruell-and-game-thrones-star-jerome-flynn-joins-series-two-alien-earth)
## References
1. [Jerome Flynn, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283492)
2. [Jerome Flynn: Credits, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jerome-flynn/credits/3030204285/)
3. [Profile, jeromeflynn.com](https://jeromeflynn.com/profile/)
4. [Tracey Ullman, Sam Spruell and Game of Thrones star Jerome Flynn join series two of Alien: Earth, Royal Television Society](https://rts.org.uk/article/tracey-ullman-sam-spruell-and-game-thrones-star-jerome-flynn-joins-series-two-alien-earth)
5. [Jerome Flynn: 'Being a pop star? It was a Disney ride...', The Independent, 22 December 2012](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jerome-flynn-being-a-pop-star-it-was-a-disney-ride-8430211.html)
6. [Jerome Flynn, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jerome-flynn/)
7. [Robson Green: things you didn't know about the TV star, What to Watch](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/robson-green-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-tv-star)
8. [Jerome Flynn: Game of Thrones and Ripper Street star is back in the limelight, The Independent, 24 November 2014](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jerome-flynn-the-game-of-thrones-and-ripper-street-star-is-back-in-the-limelight-9868077.html)
9. [Game of Thrones' Bronn on shooting the dragon, Time, 11 August 2017](https://time.com/4897046/game-of-thrones-bronn-on-spoils-of-war/)
10. [Jerome Flynn, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jerome-flynn/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames F to Gu*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license