John Drew Barrymore

Infobox actor
name = John Drew Barrymore
birthname = John Sidney Blythe Barrymore Jr.
birthdate = birth date|1932|6|4
location = Los Angeles, California
deathdate = death date and age|2004|11|29|1932|6|4
deathplace = Los Angeles, California
occupation = Film, television actor
spouse = Nina Wayne (div.)
Cara Williams (1952-1959)
Gabriella Palazzoli (m.1960)
Jaid Barrymore (19??-19??)
children = John Blyth Barrymore (b.1954)
Drew Barrymore (b.1975)
parents = John Barrymore (1882-1942)
Dolores Costello (1903-1979)

John Drew Barrymore, born John Blyth Barrymore, Jr. (June 4, 1932 – November 29, 2004), was a member of the Barrymore family of actors which included his father, John Barrymore, and his father's siblings, Lionel and Ethel. He was the father of four children, including John Blyth Barrymore and Drew Barrymore.

Biography

Barrymore was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother was actress Dolores Costello, who was of Irish descent. His parents divorced when John was around 3 years old in 1935, but he claimed (probably falsely) to have met his father only once. John and his cousin, Dirk Drew Davenport, enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II. Owing to their physical appearance, the military did not discover until several weeks later that the boys were under age. John ran away at age 17 and signed a film contract, but he repeatedly abandoned leading roles and had no major film career.

In 1958, he changed his name to John Drew Barrymore and had a brief resurgence in Italian movies, appearing in several leading roles. However, his social behavior obstructed any professional progress. In the 1960s, he was occasionally incarcerated for drug activity, public drunkenness, and spousal abuse.

In 1966, John Drew accepted a major guest role as Lazarus in the "" episode "The Alternative Factor". He failed to show up (and was ultimately replaced at the last minute by actor Robert Brown), resulting in SAG suspending Barrymore for six months.

Although he continued to appear occasionally on screen, he became more and more reclusive. Suffering from the same problems which had destroyed his father, John Drew became a derelict. Estranged from his family, including his children, his lifestyle continued to worsen and his physical and mental health suffered. In 2003, his daughter, Drew Barrymore, moved him near her home despite their estrangement, paying his medical bills until his death from cancer. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to television.

Marriage and children

He married four times, each marriage producing one child, and all four marriages ended in divorce:
#Cara Williams: married 1952, divorced 1959; son John Blyth Barrymore
#Gabriella Palazzoli: married October 11, 1960, divorced 19??; daughter Blyth Dolores Barrymore
#Ildiko Jaid Mako: married 19??, divorced 19??; daughter Drew Barrymore
#Nina Wayne: married 19??, divorced 19??; daughter Brahma (Jessica) Blyth Barrymore

Filmography

*"The Sundowners" (1950)
*"High Lonesome" (1950)
*"Quebec" (1951)
*"The Big Night" (1951)
*"Thunderbirds" (1952)
*"While the City Sleeps" (1956)
*"The Shadow on the Window" (1957)
*"High School Confidential" (1958)
*"Never Love a Stranger" (1958)
*"Night of the Quarter Moon" (1959)
*"Ti aspetterò all'inferno" (1960)
*"The Night They Killed Rasputin" (1960)
*"The Cossacks" (1960)
*"The Pharaoh's Woman" (1960)
*"The Trojan Horse" (1961)
*"Pontius Pilate" (1962)
*"The Centurion" (1962)
*"Invasion 1700" (1963)
*"Weapons of War" (1963)
*"The Keeler Affair" (1963)
*"Death on the Four Poster" (1964)
*"War of the Zombies" (1964)
*"Crimine a due" (1965)
*"Gunsmoke TV episode - One Killer on Ice" (aired 1/23/1965)
*"The Clones" (1973)
*"Baby Blue Marine" (1976)

External links

*imdb name|id=0000857|name=John Drew Barrymore
*amg name|2:4293
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=9987334 John Drew Barrymore] at Find-A-Grave