(April 28, 1878 - November 15, 1954)
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Lionel Herbert Blythe, Lionel Barrymore began acting at fifteen years old. He had a very successful film career, playing almost 200 roles and winning the 1931 Academy Award for Best Actor for A Free Soul. 1 He was one of the "Fabulous Barrymores," along with his brother John and his sister Ethel. Barrymore traced his family's acting heritage supposedly back to 1752. 2 The Barrymore family would become legendary throughout Hollywood, even still today through Lionel's great-niece Drew Barrymore.
As well as being an actor, Barrymore was an accomplished painter, author, and composer. His first film, The Paris Hat, was produced in 1908 by the Biograph Company. 3 Barrymore first acted on Broadway in 1900 as Frank Turner in Sag Harbor. He soon left to perform in Paris, returning in 1907. It was after this return to Broadway that he began to be recognized as a dramatic performer. Barrymore often performed with his wife, Doris Rankin. Their marriage ended in 1923, in part due to Barrymore's inability to recover from the deaths of both of their infant daughters.
After his divorce from Rankin, Barrymore quickly moved from Broadway to film. His last performance on Broadway, Man or Devil, ended in June 1925. Soon thereafter, he was nominated for the 1930 Academy Award for Best Director for Madame X. He became well-known for his ability to play a wide variety of roles, but found himself usually portraying grouchy men with a sweet disposition hidden inside. He may be most well-known for his role as Mr. Potter in It's a Wonderful Life. He also played the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the radio broadcast of A Christmas Carol from 1934 to 1951. However, he was not able to play that role in the 1938 film version because, by that point, he was confined to a wheelchair (a result of having his hip broken twice). Nonetheless, Barrymore continued to act, almost until the end of his life. He died of a heart attack on November 15, 1954.
1. "The Fabulous Barrymores." Biography 2.4 (1998): 36-37.
2. Barrymore 17.
3. IMDB.com.
Resources
Barrymore, Lionel. "We Barrymores!" Saturday Evening Post 223.8 (1950): 17-22.
This article, co-written with Cameron Shipp, details Barrymore's reflections on working with his family, and how the family had been perceived in the media.
"The Fabulous Barrymores." Biography 2.4 (1998): 34-36.
This article traces the Barrymore family from Lionel's grandparents to Drew Barrymore.
"Lionel Barrymore Credits on Broadway." IBDB.com. http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=31143.
This site offers a list of Broadway shows Barrymore performed in, as well as opening and closing dates, when known.
"Lionel Barrymore - Biography." IMDb.com. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000859/bio.
This website provides a lengthy biography as well as a complete filmography as an actor, director, composer, and writer.
"Lionel Barrymore." Wikipedia.org. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Barrymore.
<