John Drew Barrymore
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This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. (April 2009) |
| John Drew Barrymore | |
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 Barrymore with Anne Helm in a Gunsmoke appearance, 1964. |
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| Born | John Blyth Barrymore[1] June 4, 1932 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | November 29, 2004 (aged 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Film, television actor |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children |
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John Drew Barrymore (born John Blyth Barrymore; 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.
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Early life [edit]
Barrymore was born in Los Angeles, California to John Barrymore and Dolores Costello. His parents divorced when he was around three years old in 1935, and Barrymore claimed to have met his father only once. He also stated that he and his cousin, Dirk Drew Davenport, enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II. As both were tall for their age, the military did not discover until several weeks later that the boys were below the minimum enlistment age. Barrymore ran away when he was 17 years old and signed a film contract, but repeatedly abandoned leading roles and had no major film career.[2]
Career [edit]
In 1958, he changed his middle name to Drew, although he had previously been credited in past works as Blyth. This was followed by a brief resurgence in Italian movies, as he appeared in several leading roles. He also appeared several times in the TV series Gunsmoke However, Barrymore's social behavior obstructed any professional progress. In the 1960s, he was occasionally incarcerated for drug use, public drunkenness, and spousal abuse.[3][4]
He notably guest starred in other memorable episodes of classic TV Westerns Rawhide – "Incident of The Haunted Hills" – playing a half-Native half-White outcast and Wagon Train – "The Rutledge Monroe Story" – playing a "too cheerful" character who spreads death wherever he goes and turns out to be a figure from Major Adams' (Ward Bond) military past.
In 1966, Barrymore accepted a major guest role as Lazarus in the Star Trek episode "The Alternative Factor". However, he failed to show up (and was ultimately replaced at the last minute by actor Robert Brown), resulting in a SAG suspension of six months.[5] He did appear as Stacey Daggart in the 1966–67 NBC series The Road West, starring Barry Sullivan.
Death [edit]
Although he continued to appear occasionally on screen, he became more and more reclusive. Suffering from the same problems that 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 deteriorated.[6][7]
In 2003, 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 [edit]
Barrymore married four times, and all four marriages ending in divorce. His third child, Drew Barrymore, became a successful cinema actress.
Filmography [edit]
- 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)
- Desilu Playhouse episode – "Silent Thunder" (1958)
- Wagon Train episode – "The Ruttledge Munroe Story " (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)
- The Conqueror of Corinth (1962)
- Invasion 1700 (1963)
- Weapons of War (1963)
- The Keeler Affair (1963)
- Death on the Four Poster (1964)
- War of the Zombies (1964) aka Rome Against Rome
- Rawhide episode – "The Haunted Hills" (1959)
- The Wild Wild West episode – "The Night of the Double-Edged Knife" (1965)
- Crimine a due (1965)
- Gunsmoke TV episodes – "One Killer on Ice" (aired 01/23/1965) and "Seven Hours to Dawn" (09/18/1965)
- The Clones (1973)
- Kung Fu TV episode – "A Dream Within a Dream" (1974)
- Baby Blue Marine (1976)
References [edit]
- ^ According to the State of California. California Birth Index, 1905-1995. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Searchable at http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461
- ^ John Drew Barrymore, 72; Troubled Heir to the Throne of the Royal Family of Acting, Los Angeles Times obituary, 1 December 2004
- ^ John Drew Barrymore, 72; Troubled Heir to the Throne of the Royal Family of Acting, Los Angeles Times obituary, 1 December 2004
- ^ John Drew Barrymore, 72, of Acting Clan, New York Times obituary, 1 December 2004
- ^ Solow, Herbert F. & Robert H. Justman "Inside Star Trek" ISBN 0-671-89628-8 pp. 201-202
- ^ John Drew Barrymore Actor son of John Barrymore who exceeded even his father's off-screen excesses, The Independent obituary, 1 December 2004
- ^ John Drew Barrymore dies, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 November 2004
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Drew Barrymore |
- John Drew Barrymore at the Internet Movie Database
- John Drew Barrymore at AllRovi
- John Drew Barrymore at Find a Grave
- Desilu Playhouse "Silent Thunder" John Drew Barrymore plays lead role. Complete 52min episode from 16mm film - aired Nov. 24, 1958.
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