Flinn grew up in California, spending his early life in the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. He attended
San Francisco State University, his
academic major being theatre. While still in college, Flinn performed as a dancer in
North Beach, San Francisco. He later moved to New York City, where he found employment as an actor, dancer, and choreographer. His Broadway theatre credits include the original musical
Sugar (1972), and revivals of
Hello, Dolly! (1975) and
Pal Joey (1976). His
Off-Broadway credits include the choreography of
Six (1971) by
Charles Strouse. He also performed in the national tour of
Fiddler on the Roof. He also was in the short lived 1978 musical
Barbary Coast. In the 80s Flinn toured with the national company of
A Chorus Line in the roles of both Zack and Greg. Flinn later wrote and directed his own Off-Broadway musical:
Groucho (1979), starring
Lewis J. Stadlen. He choreographed musical sequences for the films
The Deceivers (1988) and
Ghost (1990), and the television series
Another World and
Search for Tomorrow. Flinn wrote the 1989 book
What They Did for Love: The Untold Story Behind the Making of A Chorus Line, covering the story behind the production of the 1970s musical
A Chorus Line. He next turned to
mystery fiction, writing the novels
San Francisco Kills (1990) and
Killer Finish (1991). He and
Nicholas Meyer co-wrote the script of
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). Flinn also wrote
The Fearful Summons (1995), a
Star Trek novel. His research work
Musical! A Grand Tour – the Rise, Glory and Fall of an American Institution (1997) won an
ASCAP Deems Taylor Award. His later output consisted of non-fiction books such as
How Not To Write a Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make (1999) and
How Not To Audition: Avoiding the Common Mistakes Most Actors Make (2003).
Death Flinn died in
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles due to "complications from cancer". He was survived by a wife and two children. ==Filmography==