Page 251 - They Also Served

Flying Fortress and Unpublished Story. Despite being discharged in 1944, the war had effectively ended his career. Other actors had established themselves in Hollywood during his time away and he found himself cast in a series of low budget ‘sword and sandal’ films. Falling from second to third then fourth billing into the early 1950s and cast in a supporting role in a succession of swashbucklers, he abandoned acting and returned to the UK. For a while he earned a living running a stable and trading horses.
In 1954, out of the blue, Greene was approached to star in The Adventures of Robin Hood. The TV series ran for 143 episodes from 1955 to 1959 and most Britons over the age of 50 will remember the programme, with its much-copied theme song. The merchandise from the series made him a fortune, and the revival of his career led to further roles in British films, such as the Fu Manchu thrillers of the late 1960s. Greene died in 1985, still receiving mountains of fan mail from both his film and later television careers.
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