John Barrymore Biography

American actor John Barrymore was often hailed as the greatest actor of his time. This title was earned by notable stints in Hamlet and Richard III as well as an illustrious film career. As was the case with so many of his famous family, however, Barrymore’s work was stunted by crippling personal problems.

John Sidney Blyth Barrymore was born February 15, 1882 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was born to Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew. Hailing from an incredibly well-known and respected acting family, Barrymore is the sibling of noted actors Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore. Barrymore’s son was John Drew Barrymore, subsequently making him the grandfather of Hollywood starlet Drew Barrymore.

Barrymore obtained his initial education from Georgetown Preparatory School, but he found himself expelled in 1898 after he was caught in a bordello.

Known for his drinking and larger than life personality, Barrymore began dating Evelyn Nesbit from 1901 to 1902. The relationship resulted in a pregnancy, after which Barrymore was determined to marry Nesbit. Her manager, Stanford White, stopped the proposal and forced Nesbit to undergo an abortion.

Picking himself up from the sad turn of events, Barrymore threw his efforts into his professional endeavors. To that end, he began appearing on stage in earnest during the 1910s. He is noted for productions such as Justice, Peter Ibbetson, and The Jest.

His true acclaim, however, came a bit later with his leads in Richard III and Hamlet.

Translating his stage fame into a big screen career, Barrymore made his onscreen debut in 1912 with The Dream of a Moving Picture Director.

Eventually earning the nickname “The Great Profile,” Barrymore film career took off immediately. Appearing in a slew of pictures, Barrymore’s big break came in 1917 with Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman.

In 1920, he gained even greater exposure with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Directed by John S Robertson and based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson, Barrymore shared the screen with Charles Lane, Brandon Hurst, and Cecil Clovelly.

Others know Barrymore as the title character in 1922’s Sherlock Holmes.

With the introduction of talking films, Barrymore’s classically trained voice gave him a leg up on many of his fellow actors. He took to the screen in 1932 for Grand Hotel with Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, and his brother, Lionel.

He also took the lead in 1933’s Topaze.

Honing his comedic skills, Barrymore appeared in the well-received Dinner at Eight with Marie Dressler, Jean Harlow, and Billie Burke.

In 1936, he once again tackled William Shakespeare when he played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Title characters were handled by Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer.

His career slowed considerably at this point, in large part due to his increasing alcoholism. Others conjecture that Barrymore was also battling Alzheimer’s disease.

In his personal life, Barrymore was married four times. Katherine Corri Harris was his wife from 1910 to 1917, while Blanche Oelrichs was married to him from 1920 to 1928. The latter marriage resulted in one child.

Next, he married Dolores Costello. They had two children during their marriage from 1928 to 1934. His last marriage was to Elaine Barrie from 1936 to 1940.

He was also rumored to have been involved with Carole Lombard, Hedda Hopper, Katharine Hepburn, Myrna Loy, Tallulah Bankhead, Mary Astor, and others.

Barrymore passed away on May 29, 1942 in Los Angeles, California. He died from cirrhosis of the liver as well as pneumonia.