THE BARRYMORES

First Family of American Actors

Ethel, Lionel, and John Barrymore all were famous stage and movie actors, three of the most famous, in the first half of the 20th century. It came with the family. They were raised by their grandmother, Louise Drew, who managed a theater in Philadelphia. Their parents, Maurice Barrymore and Georgianna Drew, were busy with their acting careers. The name Drew, by the way, is carried on in the latest generation of Barrymores, Drew Barrymore.

Lionel Barrymore was the oldest of the three siblings, born in Philadelphia April 28, 1878. Beginning his career on the stage, he would later do most of his work in the movies. His first movie was The Battle in 1911, and his first starring role was The New York Hat in 1912. He received an Academy Award in 1931 for the film A Free Soul. In his later years he is remembered for his role as Dr. Gillespie in the Dr. Kildare series, and the role of Mr. Potter in It's a Wonderful Life. Lionel also wrote a book in 1951 about his family titled We Barrymores.

Ethel Barrymorewas born on August 15, 1879, in Philadelphia. She took the stage as her main interest, and eventually would earn the title of "First Lady of the American Theatre." Her first movie role was in The Nightingale in 1914, but she worked in movies only sporadically, greatly preferring the theater. She did, however, win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1944 for her role in None But the Lonely Heart.

John Barrymore was born on February 15, 1882 in Philadelphia, PA. His first role was a small one in the play Magda in 1903 in Chicago. His first major acclaim came from the play The Fortune Hunter in 1909. His crowning achievement on the stage was probably in the title role of Hamlet, which was acclaimed in the United States as well as in London. He began a popular career in silent films, most notably Don Juan in 1926, and then made the move to "talking pictures", a move that many silent picture actors were unable to do.