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John Barrymore

John Barrymore

Actor · 1882–1942 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

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Biography

John Sidney Blyth Barrymore (February 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III. His success continued with motion pictures in various genres in both the silent and sound eras. Barrymore's personal life has been the subject of much writing before and since his passing in 1942. Today John Barrymore is mostly known for his roles in movies like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1920), Grand Hotel (1932), Dinner at Eight (1933), Twentieth Century (1934), and Don Juan (1926), the first ever movie to use a Vitaphone soundtrack. A member of a multi-generation theatrical dynasty, he was the brother of Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore, and was the paternal grandfather of Drew Barrymore.

Acted in 74

2020s

  1. 2021

    Coded: The Hidden Love of J.C. Leyendecker

    Archival Footage

2010s

  1. 2015

    Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The Game - The Movie

    Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde (archive footage) (uncredited)

1990s

  1. 1995

    The Casting Couch

    Movie

  2. 1991

    Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

    Hamlet (archive sound)

1980s

  1. 1984

    Going Hollywood: The '30s

    (archive footage)

  2. 1983

1970s

  1. 1979

    The Horror Show

    (archive footage)

  2. 1976

    That's Entertainment, Part II

    (archive footage)

1950s

  1. 1953

    Yesterday and Today

    (archive footage)

1940s

  1. 1946

    Okay for Sound

    Don Juan (archive footage)

  2. 1941

    Playmates

    John Barrymore

  3. World Premiere

    Duncan DeGrasse

  4. 1940

    The Invisible Woman

    Professor Gibbs

  5. The Great Profile

    Evans Garrick

1930s

  1. 1939

    Land of Liberty

    (archive footage)

  2. Midnight

    Georges Flammarion

  3. The Great Man Votes

    Vance

  4. 1938

    Hold That Co-ed

    Gabby Harrigan

  5. Spawn of the North

    Windy Turlon

  6. Romance in the Dark

    Zoltan Jason

  7. Bulldog Drummond's Peril

    Colonel Neilson

  8. 1937

    True Confession

    Charles Jasper

  9. Night Club Scandal

    Dr. Ernest Tindal

  10. Bulldog Drummond Comes Back

    Colonel Neilson

  11. Maytime

    Nicolai Nazaroff

  12. 1936

    Romeo and Juliet

    Mercutio

  13. Movie Maniacs

    Photograph of John Barrymore (uncredited)

  14. 1934
  15. Long Lost Father

    Carl Bellairs

  16. 1933

    Counsellor at Law

    George Simon

  17. Night Flight

    Riviere

  18. Reunion in Vienna

    Rudolf von Hapsburg

  19. Hamlet, Act I: Scenes IV and V

    Hamlet

  20. Topaze

    Auguste A. Topaze

  21. 1932

    Rasputin and the Empress

    Prince Paul Chegodieff

  22. A Bill of Divorcement

    Hilary Fairfield

  23. State's Attorney

    Tom Cardigan

  24. Arsène Lupin

    Duke of Charmerace

  25. 1931

    The Mad Genius

    Vladimar Ivan Tsarakov

  26. Svengali

    Svengali

  27. 1930
  28. The Man from Blankley's

    Lord Strathpeffer

1920s

  1. 1929

    General Crack

    Duke of Kurland / Prince Christian

  2. The Show of Shows

    Richard III in 'Henry VI Part III'

  3. Eternal Love

    Marcus Paltran

  4. 1928

    Tempest

    Sergeant Ivan Markov

  5. 1927

    Life in Hollywood No. 4

    Movie

  6. When a Man Loves

    Chevalier Fabien des Grieux

  7. The Beloved Rogue

    François Villon

  8. 1926
  9. The Sea Beast

    Captain Ahab Ceeley

  10. 1925
  11. 1924

    Beau Brummel

    Gordon Bryon 'Beau' Brummel

  12. 1922

    Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes

  13. 1921

    The Lotus Eater

    Jacques Leroi

  14. 1920

1910s

  1. 1919

    The Test of Honor

    Martin Wingrave

  2. Here Comes the Bride

    Frederick Tile

  3. 1918

    On the Quiet

    Robert Ridgeway

  4. 1917

    Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman

    A.J. Raffles

  5. National Red Cross Pageant

    The Tyrant - Russian episode

  6. 1916

    The Red Widow

    Cicero Hannibal Butts

  7. The Lost Bridegroom

    Bertie Joyce

  8. Nearly a King

    Jack Merriwell, Prince of Bulwana

  9. 1915

    The Incorrigible Dukane

    James Dukane

  10. The Dictator

    Brooke Travers

  11. Are You a Mason?

    Frank Perry

  12. 1914

    The Man from Mexico

    Fitzhugh

  13. An American Citizen

    Berresford Cruger

Appearances15

2000s

  1. 2005

    Irving Thalberg: Prince of Hollywood

    Self (archive footage)

  2. 2003

    Complicated Women

    Self (archive footage)

1970s

  1. 1976

    It's Showtime

    Self (archive footage)

  2. 1972

    Hollywood: The Dream Factory

    Self (archive footage)

  3. 1970

    Brasileiros em Hollywood

    Self (archive footage)

1960s

  1. 1961

    The Legend of Rudolph Valentino

    Self (archive footage)

1950s

  1. 1955
  2. 1950

    The Golden Twenties

    Self (archive footage)

1940s

  1. 1945

    Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary

    Self (archive footage)

  2. 1943

    The Voice That Thrilled the World

    Self (segments 'Don Juan' & 'Richard III') (archive footage)

  3. 1942

    Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

    Self (archive footage)

1930s

  1. 1938

    Hollywood Goes to Town

    Self

1920s

  1. 1928

    The Circus: Premiere

    Self

  2. 1927

    Life in Hollywood

    Self

  3. 1926

    Vagabonding On The Pacific

    Himself