Eldest of the famed Barrymore siblings. Unlike his brother John and sister Ethel, Lionel did very little acting for the theater. He made his stage debut as an infant as part of his parents' (Herbert Blythe/Maurice Barrymore and Georgia Drew) act and was a leading player by age 22. His first film roles were in D.W. Griffith shorts, beginning with "The Battle" (1911), and he worked primarily with MGM from 1926; he continued to act despite being confined to a wheelchair for the last 15 years of his life due to crippling arthritis and a serious leg injury. Barrymore gave one of his finest performances as a dying businessman in "Dinner at Eight" (1933) and is also fondly remembered for "Camille" (1933), "You Can't Take It With You" (1938) and "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), among others.
Barrymore was a published author of both fiction and non-fiction, an accomplished painter and a capable film director, earning an Oscar nomination for the 1929 version of the oft-filmed weepie "Madame X".
- Also Credited As:
Lionel Blyth
- Born:
April 28, 1878 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Died:
November 15, 1954.
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Job Titles:
Actor, Director, Artist, Author, Composer, Producer, Screenwriter, Vaudevillian
Family
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Brother: John Barrymore. born on February 15, 1882; died on May 29, 1942
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Daughter: Ethel Barrymore II. born in August 1906; died on March 23, 1909; mother, Doris Rankin
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Daughter: Mary Barrymore. died at age two, c. 1906; mother, Doris Rankin
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Father: Maurice Barrymore. born September 21, 1847; died March 2, 1905
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Great-grandmother: Eliza Lane.
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Mother: Georgiana Drew.
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Sister: Ethel Barrymore. acted with his sister Ethel and brother John in Rasputin and the Empress (1932); born on August 15, 1879; died on June 18, 1959
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Uncle: John Drew.
Milestones
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1893 First stage appearance as Thomas the coachman in The Rivals (for one performance) during tour starring his grandmother, Mrs. John Drew
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1897 Stage acting debut in The Bachelor s Baby
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1900 Broadway debut in Sag Harbor
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1909 Joined Biograph film company
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1911 Acted in over 50 short films (many by D.W. Griffith)
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1912 Wrote two short films, one of which was D.W. Griffith s The Tender-Hearted Boy
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1914 Feature film acting debut in Men and Women
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1917 Feature writing and directing debut, Life s Whirlpool
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1928 Acted in MGM s first talkie, Alias Jimmy Valentine
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1929 First feature as producer and composer (also director), His Glorious Night
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1938 First appearance as Dr. Gillespie (for the 15-film MGM series) in Young Dr. Kildare
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1942 Composed tone poem, In Memoriam, in dedication to his brother, John, which was performed by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra
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1953 Last screen appearance in Main Street to Broadway (as himself)