Heir to a Hollywood dynasty and former child star, DREW BARRYMORE
has been a successful actress for nearly two decades, following
her feature film debut in "Altered States" with her unforgettable
role as Gertie in one of the most successful motion pictures of
all time -- Steven Spielberg's "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial."
The granddaughter of John Barrymore and grandniece of Ethel
Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore, Drew Blythe Barrymore was born in
Culver City, California on February 22, 1975. She made
her first commercial at nine months and her first television
movie, "Suddenly Love," at the age of two. Two years later, she
made her film debut, appearing as William Hurt's daughter in
"Altered States" (1980). At the age of seven, Barrymore became a
true celebrity, with her role as the cherubic Gertie in "E.T. The
Extra-Terrestrial." The huge success of that 1982 film endeared
Barrymore to millions of audience members, and garnered her a
Youth In Film Award and a British Academy of Film and Television
Arts Award nomination for Most Outstanding Newcomer, but
following leads in two more films, Stephen King's "Firestarter"
and "Irreconcilable Differences," for which she received a Golden
Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress (both 1984), the
young actress began to succumb to a destructive lifestyle. A
child expected to behave like an adult, Barrymore began drinking
at the age of nine and started taking drugs a short while later.
During this tumultuous period, Barrymore appeared in
Stephen King's "Cat's Eye," in a role written especially for her
and "See You in the Morning."
In the middle of her teen years, Barrymore entered rehab,
cleaned herself up, and wrote an autobiography, "Little Girl
Lost," which detailed her travails with drugs and alcohol.
Barrymore eventually revived her career in 1992, playing a
bad girl in the movie "Poison Ivy" and landing a recurring
role in the short-lived Aaron Spelling nighttime soap opera
"2000 Malibu Road." In 1993, Barrymore received her second
Golden Globe nomination for "Gun Crazy" opposite James LeGros
and became a GUESS? model, appearing in ads shot by Wayne
Maser. She subsequently turned in memorable performances in
"Bad Girls," playing a cowgirl; "Boys on the Side," as an
abused girlfriend; "Mad Love," portraying a high school girl
who goes out of control; and the 1995 hit "Batman Forever,"
appearing in a cameo as a villainess.
In 1996, Barrymore's image underwent an abrupt and effective
change. It took only a few minutes of screen appearance for her
to reclaim stardom. Turning down the role that went to Neve
Campbell, due to fears of being miscast in bad girl and high
school girl parts, Barrymore opted to play 'Casey Becker', the
opening sequence victim in Wes Craven's small horror film
"Scream," which became a huge success, taking in more than $100
million domestically. With her memorable cameo in "Scream,"
which impressed critics and audiences everywhere, and a lead in
Woody Allen's musical "Everyone Says I Love You," Barrymore's
career received an adrenaline shot. She began working steadily
again, and all her following films were solid hits.
Barrymore had a string of successful films with
"The Wedding
Singer" opposite Adam Sandler, Andy Tennant's "Ever After,"
the quirky comedy "Home Fries" and
"Never Been Kissed," which she also co-produced.
She later voiced one of the characters in Fox 2000's "Titan A.E."
and played one of the titular heroines alongside Cameron Diaz and
Lucy Liu in the successful "Charlie's Angels," which she also
co-produced. She starred in Penny Marshall's "Riding in Cars With
Boys," in which her character ages from a teenager to a young
man's mother, and had supporting roles in the 2001 films "Donnie
Darko" and "Freddy Got Fingered." Barrymore has several films
awaiting release, among them "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,"
Danny DeVito's "Duplex" with Ben Stiller and James Remar, the
much-anticipated sequel "Charlie's Angels 2" and the remake of
"Barbarella." She is also the producer of the latter three films.
Expanding her creative horizons, Barrymore established, with
partner Nancy Juvonen, a production company, Flower Films. The
company had a two-year, first-look production deal with Fox 2000
Pictures.
A dedicated philanthropist, Barrymore often donates her time and
resources to a number of charities. She is serving as national
spokesperson for the non-profit Female Health Foundation,
helping to draw attention to the foundation’s campaign to
increase awareness of the growing need for safe-sex education and
condom use. Barrymore is also actively involved in volunteering
and raising funds for the Wildlife Waystation, which rescues and
offers sanctuary to animals, big and small, from around the world.
Barrymore's television work includes the telefeatures "The Amy
Fisher Story," "15 and Getting Straight," "Suddenly Love,"
"Bogie," "Babes in Toyland" and "A Conspiracy of Love."
![[Drew Barrymore]](drew.jpg)