Flynn was born on 13 December 1939 on Hainan Island, China, where his father was a customs officer for the Hong Kong government.
He then gained a scholarship to Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he met his first wife Fern.
He appeared as Alan-A-Dale in A Challenge for Robin Hood in 1967, as Germanicus Caesar in the ITV historical drama series, The Caesars, as Leo Ryan in the Doctor Who story "The Wheel in Space" in 1968, as Ivanhoe in a 1970 TV mini-series, as Major Tom Graham in series five of Freewheelers in 1971 and as Slattery in one episode of Thriller ('A Killer In Every Corner'), in 1975.
His daughter from his second marriage, Lillie Flynn, finished a three-year acting degree at The Central School of Speech and Drama in 2007 and his son, Johnny, is also an actor and singer.
Eric Flynn died of cancer at his home in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on 4 March 2002, aged 62.