Lionel Barrymore is not only a famous actress, but she is also a talented director. She has starred in films such as “The Great Gatsby” and “The Wizard of Oz”. She is also a winner of several Academy Awards. In addition, she has written several autobiographies.
Early life
The early life of Lionel Barrymore was full of challenges. He was born to a famous family of actors. Despite a successful stage career, he suffered a loss when his two daughters died in infancy. This strained his marriage with actress Doris Rankin.
Barrymore was forced to retrain as an actor after suffering an injury. His father, Maurice, was also a stage actor. In addition to acting, he was a musician and painter. As a young boy, Barrymore had a keen interest in painting and music composition.
During this period, Lionel studied painting in Paris. He also became interested in moving pictures. After several years of study in the French capital, he relocated to New York. From there, he began to work as an actor and writer.
His first appearance was in a short two-reeler directed by D. W. Griffith. Later, he returned to the stage, co-starring with his brother, John, in the play The Jest.
He also appeared in several plays with Nance O’Neil’s company. By the time he joined American Biograph Studios, Barrymore had developed an addiction to morphine. In the 1920s and 1930s, he appeared in more than 30 feature films.
During the Thirties, he played a variety of roles, including a prizefighter in “The Other Girl” and a father in “Ah Wilderness!”. Throughout the years, he often took cocaine to help ease pain from hip fractures. However, by the late Thirties, he had lost his ability to stand unaided.
In addition to starring in films, Barrymore wrote a number of scripts. These were published in Biograph’s magazine. In addition to working in Hollywood, he was a member of the “Mayor of the Town” radio series. Among his most notable performances were those in “Camille” and “The Stranger’s Return”.
While on the Broadway stage, Lionel’s brother, John, was also an actor. In addition, his sister Ethel also appeared on the stage.
Academy Awards
Lionel Barrymore was an American actor, composer, and singer. He was born in Philadelphia. In 1904, he married actress Doris Rankin. They had two daughters, one of whom died in infancy.
Barrymore’s father, Sidney, was an actor and artist. Their family was well-known in theater. However, after a few years of marriage, their relationship began to falter. Eventually, Barrymore and Rankin divorced.
Barrymore eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue his artistic interests. As an actor, he appeared in numerous films during the 1920s. His performances in The Mysterious Island, The Mummy and the Hummingbird, and Dinner at Eight were notable.
Barrymore also starred in three short-lived plays. In addition, he wrote scripts for Biograph, a company that produced silent films. After signing a contract with MGM, he made a number of films.
Throughout his career, Barrymore often played fathers or villains. Some of his more memorable roles included Mr. Potter, the mean banker in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946); and the greedy banker in ‘It’s Wonderful Life’.
Despite his fame on the stage, Lionel Barrymore’s health started to fail him. During World War I, he fought against Spanish Influenza. Afterwards, he became more concerned with his family. During his last few years, he was mostly confined to a wheelchair.
In 1929, Barrymore received an Oscar nomination for directing Madame X. His other movies included The Rogue Song with Laurel and Hardy and Drums of Love.
In 1947, Barrymore’s health began to fail him. He was usually in a wheelchair by this time. Despite his health problems, he still starred in several films, including the popular ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.
Lionel Barrymore starred in many films in the 1930s, but his performances were often heavily reliant on his acting skills. These roles included villains and romantic leads. Several of his films were considered to be among the 100 best American films.
Film roles
Barrymore played many character roles in his career. These included old wisecracking people, as well as kindly grandpas. He also played a villain. In addition, he acted as an actor, a director, and a composer. During his lifetime, Barrymore starred in more than 60 silent films.
After a successful stage career, Barrymore decided to go into movies. His directorial debut was a short film called ‘His Secret’ in 1913. From then on, he made numerous movies, including The Devil’s Garden (1920), Rasputin and the Empress (1925), Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1955), and ‘Partita’ (1944).
As an actor, Barrymore’s biggest roles were as the lead in The Master Mind and the lead in America. In his latter years, he often portrayed the character of a father or grandfather. However, he never had another major stage role again.
Barrymore also appeared in many short silent films, notably West of Zanzibar (1928) with Lon Chaney, and Sadie Thompson (1928) with Gloria Swanson. He also appeared in a number of plays, such as ‘The Stranger’s Return’ with King Vidor.
Barrymore’s performances in these films were particularly admired. He had a distinctive, ‘everyman’ face. And he was a good composer. He wrote the musical background for ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’.
Throughout his long career, Barrymore starred in a variety of films for different studios. His most important roles were in films with famous co-actors, including James Stewart, Gregory Peck, Lauren Bacall, and Laurence Olivier.
Barrymore also voiced Father Time in a TV educational film in 1956. When he was in his final years, he was wheelchair bound. However, he continued to act until the end of his life.
Autobiography
Lionel Barrymore, the famous American actor and filmmaker, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Maurice Barrymore and Georgie Drew. During his life, he starred in over 30 films, including a number of memorable roles. In addition to his acting, he also wrote scripts and music. Among his best known movies are It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), which won an Academy Award for Best Picture, and A Free Soul, which earned him an Oscar for Best Actor.
Barrymore grew up in a Catholic family. His father suffered from syphilis and a breakdown after a stage performance. After his mother’s death, his father moved to an asylum. Later, he returned to New York to pursue his artistic interests.
Barrymore joined the Biograph company in 1912 and became an actor. He made his directorial debut with a short film, His Secret, in 1913. However, he was more interested in pictorial art than acting.
After a series of negative reviews, Barrymore decided to abandon his stage career and focus on a movie career. He signed a contract with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Company in 1925.
While his film career took off, his stage career suffered. His first three plays had limited success. One of these was a tragicomic performance of Macbeth, which received mixed reviews.
Despite his lack of a strong stage presence, Lionel Barrymore had a good working relationship with Louis B. Mayer, his manager at the time.
Barrymore was a prolific composer. He composed a musical background for Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. His compositions included the symphony ‘Partita’. Also, he wrote a number of scenarios for his Biograph films.
Barrymore died on November 15, 1954. He is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Death
Lionel Barrymore passed away at the age of 76. He was a film and stage actor who had a long career. His death was announced by Variety.
Lionel Herbert Blythe was born in Philadelphia on April 28, 1878. He was the oldest of three children. His father, Maurice, was a stage performer.
When he was five, Lionel’s mother died of a heart attack. Later, his father suffered from syphilis. Consequently, Lionel spent his youth in the hospital. In 1904, he married Doris Rankin. They had two daughters. A few years later, the couple divorced.
During the late 1920s, Lionel’s interest in the moving picture industry began to develop. He made several silent movies for Metro Pictures. This marked a turning point in his career.
In 1925, Lionel Barrymore signed a contract with MGM. He starred in dozens of films in the 1920s.
In addition to his stage and screen work, he was also a painter. He studied painting in Paris for several years. However, he never found success as a painter. The family was financially unstable during his last years.
Lionel Barrymore was born into an acting dynasty. His uncle was John Drew, a famous stage actor. Both John and his brother Maurice were great actors. Their sister, Georgina, was an actress.
Besides acting, Barrymore composed music. He wrote a symphony called “Partita” in 1944. For years, he hoped to become a painter.
After Barrymore’s death, the Philadelphia Orchestra performed a memorial to his memory. His ashes were interred next to his brothers. All three Blythe siblings were brilliant actors.
Lionel’s career spanned 61 years. At the time of his death, he had been suffering from a heart condition.
