Search results
The Barrymore family, and the related Drew family, form a British-American acting dynasty which traces its acting roots to the mid-19th century London stage. After migrating to the United States, members of the family appeared in motion pictures.
- Drew Barrymore
- Lionel Barrymore
- John Barrymore
- Maurice Barrymore
- John Drew Barrymore
- Ethel Barrymore
- Diana Barrymore
- The Barrymore Family Curse: Is It A Real Thing?
Notable Projects: E.T. The Extra-terrestrial, Scream, The Wedding Singer, Charlie's Angels
The most famous Barrymore family member, Drew Barrymore has been acting since she was 11 months old in commercials. At only 7 years old, Drew became one of the most famous actors in the world after starring as Gertie in Stephen Spielberg’s 1982 sci-fi movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Thereafter, she became the youngest actor ever to guest-host Saturday Night Live and starred in a few successful ‘80s movies like Stephen King’s Firestarter and Cat’s Eye. After some controversy in the late ‘80s...
Notable Projects: A Free Soul, Key Largo, It's A Wonderful Life
Drew Barrymore's grand uncle, Lionel Barrymore, isconsidered one of the greatest Hollywood actors from the 1930s and ‘40s. Lionel was in the first set of Barrymores to come to wide acclaim along with his brother John and sister Ethel. The son of theatrical legends Maurice and Georgie Barrymore, Lionel began his stage career in the early 1900s on various Broadway musical shows, starring in the critically acclaimed play The Mummy and the Hummingbird(1902). In the late 1910s, Lionel began to est...
Notable Projects: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Grand Hotel, Twentieth Century
Drew Barrymore's grandfather John Barrymore — like his brother Lionel and sister Ethel — got his start on the stage with his parents and siblings back in the early 1900s. John found particular acclaim with his stage productions of Shakespeare, where his portrayal of Hamlet gained him notoriety as one of the greatest American tragedians of his day. Barrymore later broke into the silent film era, where he starred in popular films like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and as the titular sleuth in the 192...
Notable Projects: Pique
The great-grandfather of Drew Barrymore, Maurice Barrymore - born Herbert Blythe - was an Indian-born British stage actor who founded the Barrymore family acting dynasty. While his parents wanted Maurice to pursue law studies, he became an amateur boxing champion in 1872. After this, he became the first member of the family to adopt the stage name Barrymore, and then emigrated to the United States to begin his career in entertainment. Maurice got his start on Broadway, starring in the play Pi...
Notable Projects: The Wild Wild West, Gunsmoke
The son of John Barrymore and silent film actress Dolores Costello, John Drew Barrymore Jr. was born in 1932 into the existent Barrymore dynasty. John got his first acting role at the age of 8 for various Clint Eastwood-style Western movies. Early in his career, John Drew Barrymore continued to star in small roles in films that weren’t very successful, leading him to a television career where he starred in guest roles on different anthology series in the 1950s. Barrymore then shifted back int...
Notable Projects: Captain Jinks and the Horse Marines, None but the Lonely Heart, Ethel Barrymore Theater
Getting her start at the same time as her brothers John and Lionel, Ethel Barrymore is regarded as one of the greatest stage actresses of all time, earning the nickname “The First Lady of the American Theater.” Ethel first appeared on Broadway in 1895, whereafter she was recruited by a troupe in London to perform a tour that gave her great acclaim by men around the world, including Winston Churchill who actually proposed marriage to her. Upon returning to the U.S., Ethel became a bona fide st...
Notable Projects: Eagle Squadron, Nightmare
Diana Barrymore was the daughter of John Barrymore, making her the aunt of actress Drew Barrymore. As a teenager, Barrymore decided to begin her career on the stage, which earned her a cover on Life magazine due to the family’s notoriety in the theater. At the age of 20, Diana moved into feature films where she starred in a few movies like Eagle Squadron, Nightmare, and Ladies Courageous. Notably, Diana Barrymore's immense talent and personality were equally attached to controversy and acclai...
An Ignorant Tabloid Term Lingered Over The Family
Due to the high profile of the famous Barrymore family over the years, the challenges and tragedies that the family has faced have been made very public. These include Maurice's hospitalization, Diana's premature passing, John's alcoholism, John Jr.'s estrangement from his family, Drew's own struggles with addiction, and the untimely death of Drew's half-sister Jessica Blyth Barrymore due to an accidental overdose. Because of this recurring pattern within the famous acting family, the concept...
- Colin Mccormick
Barrymore family, U.S. theatrical family. Maurice Barrymore (orig. Herbert Blythe; 1847/49–1905) made his stage debut in London before moving to New York City (1875), where he adopted Barrymore as his stage name.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jun 5, 2020 · Born to John Drew Barrymore and Ildiko Jaid Mako Barrymore, Drew's mom was only a sometime actress, who became Drew's manager, and used her daughter's fame to have a whirlwind social life that...
Barrymore was born into an acting family. All of her paternal great-grandparents, Maurice and Georgie Drew Barrymore, Maurice and Mae Costello (née Altschuk), and her paternal grandparents, John Barrymore and Dolores Costello, were actors, [18] with John being arguably the most acclaimed actor of his generation.
Dec 14, 2021 · Drew Barrymore was born to two actors, John Drew Barrymore and Ildiko Jaid Mako Barrymore. Her father began his career in films like "The Sundowners" and "Thunderbirds," but was greeted with bad reviews (via Film Buff Online ).
Their narrative begins in 19th century London’s vibrant theater scene, evolving into a saga etched deeply into the annals of showbiz. This blog post aims to demystify the intricate branches of the Barrymore family tree while encapsulating their influence on cinema and stage.