One of Hollywood’s box office draws during the 1940’s and 50’s died practicing his acting craft while shooting a film in Madrid, Spain. The suave and sophisticated Tyrone Power passed away of a heart attack while filming the 1958 movie Solomon and Sheba. He was 44.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1914, Power had acting in his blood. His father, Tyrone Power Sr., was a stage actor in London, as was his mother.

Power made 51 movies during his twenty year acting career. 20th Century Fox signed him to a long-term contract in 1936. He became a star after making the 1940 epic, The Mark of Zorro, and The Black Swan in 1942.

Like many of his fellow actors, Power’s career was delayed when he enlisted during World War II. He served four years in the United States Marine Corps.

After his discharge, Power picked up where he left off, starring in several historical films such as Prince of Foxes (1949), The Black Rose (1950), and King of the Khyber Rifles in 1953.

Power divided his time between the stage and silver screen, appearing in a number of productions in the last years of his life. His performance in Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution with Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich in 1957 was one of his more memorable performances.

Power was married three times. The unions produced three children, two daughters, and a son, Tyrone Power IV, who was born two months after his father died on the movie set. Power told someone one time that his life would be complete if he had a son and died on stage. And even though he did it in reverse order, he got his wish.