Lionel Barrymore Bio

Lionel Barrymore Biography 

 

American actor, director, and radio personality Lionel Barrymore comes from one of the most distinguished acting families in Hollywood. With an impressive résumé, Barrymore remains most known for his work in Madame X, A Free Soul, and It’s a Wonderful Life.

 

Lionel Herbert Blythe, known popularly as Lionel Barrymore, was born April 28, 1878 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were noted actors Georgiana Drew and Maurice Barrymore (Maurice Blythe). Hailing from a legendary acting family, Barrymore was the brother of Ethel Barrymore and John Barrymore. He was also the great uncle of current Hollywood starlet Drew Barrymore.

 

Barrymore’s acting aspirations began with live theatre. Honing those skills, he worked everywhere from Paris stages to Broadway.

 

Barrymore knew, however, that he wanted to reach a larger audience. Therefore, he transitioned to Hollywood fairly early in his career. To that end, he made his onscreen debut in 1908 with The Paris Hat.

 

Proving a hit right away, Barrymore appeared in well over one hundred films between his debut and 1930.

 

All relatively minor roles, Barrymore gained attention in a big way in 1931. Appearing in A Free Soul opposite Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, James Gleason, and Clark Gable, Barrymore earned his one and only Oscar win.

 

He followed with the well-received Guilty Hands opposite Kay Francis.

 

Sharing the screen with Hollywood’s biggest names, Barrymore also played Otto Kringelein in the classic Grand Hotel. The film featured Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and Wallace Beery.

 

Others recognize Barrymore as Doctor Gillespie in the various Dr. Kildare films. This was a role he reprised throughout the 30s and 40s, and he even brought it to the radio in Mayor of the Town.

 

But it was 1946 that brought Barrymore his most famous role. Appearing as Henry F. Potter in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Barrymore’s role became an iconic figure in Hollywood history. The same was true for his costars James Stewart and Donna Reed.

 

Working right until his death, one of Barrymore’s last roles was in the John Huston project Key Largo with Humphrey Bogart, Edward G Robinson, and Lauren Bacall.

 

Barrymore is also noted for his directorial efforts. His 1929 project Madame X earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director.

 

In his personal life, Barrymore was married to Doris Rankin from June of 1904 to March of 1923. They had two daughters, but tragically, both died shortly after birth. Those closest to Barrymore said he never quite recovered from the shock. The divorce to Rankin was undoubtedly influenced by these events.

 

Barrymore remarried in 1923 to Irene Fenwick. They were together until she died on December 24, 1936.

 

Barrymore passed away on November 15, 1954 in Van Nuys, California due to a heart attack. He was subsequently laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.




     del.icio.us     Stumble It