John Barrymore

@Actors, Career and Family

John Barrymore, born John Sidney Blyth, was an American actor and performer

Feb 15, 1882

PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaAmericanFilm & Theater PersonalitiesActorsAquarius Celebrities
Biography

Personal Details

  • Birthday: February 15, 1882
  • Died on: May 29, 1942
  • Nationality: American
  • Famous: Film & Theater Personalities, Actors
  • City/State: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
  • Nick names: Jack
  • Spouses: 1910–1917 - Katherine Corri Harris, 1920–1928 - Michael Strange, 1928–1934 - Dolores Costello, 1936–1940 - Elaine Barrie

John Barrymore born at

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Birth Place

John married four times in his life. He was married to Katherine Harris, Blanche Oelrichs, and Dolores Costello, before marrying Elaine Barrie in 1936.

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Personal Life

However, his fourth marriage too ended in a divorce. In 1937, he received the divorce papers from his wife.

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Personal Life

A month later, he filed for bankruptcy. His health, marital issues, and destroyed career were caused by his lack of discipline and disgraceful behavior.

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Personal Life

John Barrymore was born John Sidney Blyth, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 15, 1882. His parents, Maurice and Georgiana Barrymore were theater actors, and his siblings, Ethel and Lionel, became successful actors too.

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Childhood & Early Life

John was the youngest of the three children of his parents. His father was an Indian-born British actor, and his mother belonged to a reputed theatrical family in America.

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Childhood & Early Life

Due to continuous travel, John had to change a lot of schools. He was also very ill-disciplined as a child and was often punished in school.

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Childhood & Early Life

He was once made to read Dante’s ‘Inferno’ as a punishment and fell in love with the illustrations by Gustave Dore.

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Childhood & Early Life

He attended the boys’ annex of the ‘Convent of Notre Dame’ in Philadelphia. He was expelled from the school in 1891.

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Childhood & Early Life

Although, John did not wish to take up acting as a profession, his father convinced him to try stage for once. He made his stage debut in a play called ‘A Man of the World,’ alongside his father.

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Early Career

In 1901, he appeared in ‘Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines’ with his sibling Ethel. Later that year, his father suffered a mental breakdown and was admitted to a private institution in Amityville.

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Early Career

His father’s situation affected John immensely. In 1902, he was fired from the position of illustrator, and he started working as a poster designer.

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Early Career

With time, he understood that his job was not enough for him to afford his lifestyle. This made him turn to acting. He once stated that he had to succumb to the family curse, acting, to support himself.

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Early Career

He joined McKee Rankin’s company on its Chicago tour at the ‘W. S. Cleveland Theatre’ in 1903. He made his ‘Broadway’ debut in ‘Glad of It’ in 1904.

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Career

Actor William Collier became his mentor while they worked together in the production of ‘The Dictator.’ Meanwhile, his father died, and John had to go back to America.

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Career

After a few years of struggle, John finally made his first lead appearance in ‘The Boys of Company B’ in 1907. It was a comedy play and paved way for his future performances.

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Career

John played a variety of roles in plays such as ‘A Stubborn Cinderella,’ ‘The Fortune Hunter,’ ‘Princess Zim-Zim,’ ‘A Thief for a Night,’ and ‘A Slice of Life,’ before he moved over to films.

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Career

In 1912, Barrymore, worked in four films, all of which were lost in an explosion at the ‘Lubin’ vaults. He made his debut in the 1913 film ‘An American Citizen,’ a romantic comedy.

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Career