After his graduation from Bates College, Jeffrey Lynn worked as a high school English and speech teacher. He turned to acting in the mid-'30s and in 1937 was signed to a stock Warner Bros. contract. A bit too lightweight for important roles, he was a fine second-echelon leading man, and before leaving Warners he'd compiled several impressive credits, including such roles as poet Joyce Kilmer in The Fighting 69th (1940) and Henry Mortyn Field in All This and Heaven Too (1940). He also "starred" as Ashley Wilkes in the screen tests of Selznick's Gone with the Wind (1939), feeding lines to such aspiring Scarlett O'Haras as Paulette Goddard and Frances Dee. During WWII, he served as an army intelligence officer, earning a Bronze Star. He returned to films in 1948 in hopes of revitalizing his career, but found more success as a stage and television actor. His TV credits included two series, My Son Jeep (1953) and Star Stage (1955). Jeffrey Lynn retired from acting in 1968 to devote his time to his family and "civilian" business pursuits.
by Hal Erickson
biography
