Joe Flynn (November 8, 1924 - July 19, 1974) was an American character actor best known for his participation in the popular 1960s TV sitcom, McHale's Navy. He was also a frequent guest star on 1960s sitcoms such as Batman and appeared in several Walt Disney film comedies. Later in his career, Flynn worked as a voice actor for Disney animated features.

Joe Flynn was born on November 8, 1924, in Youngstown, Ohio. After attending Northwestern University, Flynn began his entertainment career as a ventriloquist and as a radio performer. During World War II, he served in the Army's Special Services Branch (formerly the Morale Branch) entertaining the troops in the United States. After the war, Flynn moved to Hollywood. He made his film debut as "Joseph Flynn" in the bottom-of-the-barrel, beneath-B-picture potboiler Big Chase, The (1954), which co-starred Lon Chaney Jr., which he followed up with a part as a priest in Seven Little Foys, The (1955) starring Bob Hope (I). Flynn began to achieve success on television in the late 1950s, becoming a regular on "George Gobel Show, The" (1954). This landed him a role on "Joey Bishop Show, The" (1961), but Flynn reposed was dumped by the star for stealing too many scenes after the first season. By the time he was booted off of the Bishop show, he had developed a reputation as a reliable comic foil. The termination of his Bishop gig proved fortuitous for he landed the role that made him a television immortal that very next season: Captain Wallace "Leadbottom" Binghamton on "McHale's Navy" (1962). The classic sit-com, which co-starred Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway, lasted until 1966 and spawned two theatrical movie releases. It also lead to a co-starring role on the short-lived "Tim Conway Show, The" (1970). Beginning with his appearance in Walt Disney Co.'s "The Love Bug" in 1968, Joe Flynn appeared in nine other Disney productions: seven theatrical releases and two TV movies, including two movies released after his death. He appeared in five movies with Kurt Russell (I), including three in which he played Eugene (E.J.) Higgins, the dean of financially strapped Medfield College: "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (1970), "Now You See Him, Now You Don't" (1973), and "The Strongest Man in the World" (1975). In the early 1970s, Flynn was one of the leaders of a Screen Actors Guild group that sought a more equitable distribution of TV residual payments. On July 19, 1974, just after completing his voice-over work on the Disney animated movie "The Rescuers," he died of a heart attack in the swimming pool of his Beverly Hills home. Apparently, he had gone into the pool with a cast on his broken leg. His body was found at the pool's bottom, held down by the weight of the cast. He was 49 years old.