Summary

• The Barrymore family is one of the most renowned acting dynasties in Hollywood, known for their extensive talent spanning generations.
• Drew Barrymore, the most famous member of the family, had a successful acting career before transitioning into directing and hosting her own talk show.
• The concept of a "Barrymore family curse" is a misrepresentation of the struggles the family has faced with addiction and mental health, as addiction is a treatable condition that should not be shamed. Drew Barrymore's success after overcoming addiction is proof of this.

Family acting dynasties have been around long before Hollywood, and the best example of a family that continued through nearly every step of acting’s evolution is the famous Barrymore family, including film star Drew Barrymore. While certain modern Hollywood families have grown into all aspects of filmmaking, like the famous members of the Coppola family, the Barrymores are significant for being known simply as an “acting family.” The Barrymore family is also known for adopting a stage name that has continued throughout generations, as many of their birth surnames were “Blythe,” whereafter they either took Barrymore as their legal last name or stage name.

Although only one notable Barrymore member holds up their acting legacy today, many have come and gone over the years to solidify themselves as one of the greatest examples of Hollywood royalty of all time. Not to mention they also have roots coming from the family of the Barrymore matriarch, Georgie Drew Barrymore, whose family branch has also extended to some highly renowned actors in the early 1900s. Taking a look at the famous Barrymore family members and their legacies in Hollywood shows how extensive the generations of talent were.

Drew Barrymore

Notable Projects: E.T. The Extra-terrestrial, Scream, The Wedding Singer, Charlie's Angels

The most famous Barrymore family member, Drew Barrymore has been acting since she was 11 months old in commercials. At only 7 years old, Drew became one of the most famous actors in the world after starring as Gertie in Stephen Spielberg’s 1982 sci-fi movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Thereafter, she became the youngest actor ever to guest-host Saturday Night Live and starred in a few successful ‘80s movies like Stephen King’s Firestarter and Cat’s Eye. After some controversy in the late ‘80s, Drew’s career was completely revitalized in the late ‘90s after her famous short appearance in Scream and her dive into comedic roles like Never Been Kissed and The Wedding Singer.

The 2000s proved even more successful for Drew Barrymore, leading to roles in Charlie’s Angels, Donnie Darko, 50 First Dates, Fever Pitch, and Grey Gardens. In 2009, she shifted into directing with her debut Whip It, which was received positively by critics. She continued to star in films periodically in the 2010s, including features like Blended, though she is more remembered for starring in Netflix’s original TV series, Santa Clarita Diet. In 2020, Barrymore became the host of her own syndicated daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, which has already been renewed for a third season.

While she’ll still be a presence in Hollywood with her talk show and ever-lasting fame, Barrymore revealed on Radio Andy in March 2021 that she will be taking an indefinite hiatus from acting. However, two years later, in a March 2023 interview on ET Online, Drew Barrymore also expressed a desire to work on a new movie with long-time collaborator Adam Sandler. The duo are well known for films like The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates, where they star as different unlikely couples. For now, it's unclear if and when that project will manifest, but the classic rom-com pair could soon grace screens with their nostalgic presence.

Lionel Barrymore

Notable Projects: A Free Soul, Key Largo, It's A Wonderful Life

Drew Barrymore's grand uncle, Lionel Barrymore, is considered one of the greatest Hollywood actors from the 1930s and ‘40s. Lionel was in the first set of Barrymores to come to wide acclaim along with his brother John and sister Ethel. The son of theatrical legends Maurice and Georgie Barrymore, Lionel began his stage career in the early 1900s on various Broadway musical shows, starring in the critically acclaimed play The Mummy and the Hummingbird (1902). In the late 1910s, Lionel began to establish himself as a silent film actor, starring in a number of leading roles for director D.W. Griffith.

After years of notoriety, Lionel took home the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1931 for his role in A Free Soul while having been nominated for Best Director for Madame X the year before. Throughout the ‘30s and ‘40s, Lionel Barrymore appeared in critically acclaimed films like the Dr. Kildare series, Grand Hotel, You Can’t Take It With You, Key Largo, and Frank Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life. There he played his most famous character, Mr. Potter, the grouchy banker. In the last two decades before his passing in 1954, Lionel Barrymore was best known for portraying Ebenezer Scrooge in annual radio broadcasts of A Christmas Carol.

John Barrymore

Notable Projects: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Grand Hotel, Twentieth Century

Drew Barrymore's grandfather John Barrymore — like his brother Lionel and sister Ethel — got his start on the stage with his parents and siblings back in the early 1900s. John found particular acclaim with his stage productions of Shakespeare, where his portrayal of Hamlet gained him notoriety as one of the greatest American tragedians of his day. Barrymore later broke into the silent film era, where he starred in popular films like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and as the titular sleuth in the 1922 Sherlock Holmes movie, eventually earning him the nickname “The Great Profile.” Like other members of the Barrymore family, John worked on both silent and sound films.

In fact, John is one of the few actors to gain even more acclaim as he moved into sound films. Three of John Barrymore’s most famous movies, Grand Hotel, Twentieth Century, and Midnight, have been placed in the National Film Registry. John was notable for the controversy surrounding his personal life and alcoholism in his later years, which led to studios’ hesitance in hiring him and only working in a few last films before passing in 1942. Nonetheless, Barrymore has been widely commemorated for his contributions to the film industry, including programs, awards, and a Hollywood Star being dedicated to him.

Maurice Barrymore

Notable Projects: Pique (Stage Play)

The great-grandfather of Drew Barrymore, Maurice Barrymore - born Herbert Blythe - was an Indian-born British stage actor who founded the Barrymore family acting dynasty. While his parents wanted Maurice to pursue law studies, he became an amateur boxing champion in 1872. After this, he became the first member of the family to adopt the stage name Barrymore, and then emigrated to the United States to begin his career in entertainment. Maurice got his start on Broadway, starring in the play Pique. After the birth of his children Lionel, John, and Ethel, Maurice transitioned into Vaudeville, where he starred opposite some of the most famous actresses of that time.

In 1901, Maurice was infamous for an anti-semitic monologue on stage, later diagnosed as a mental breakdown whereafter he was moved into a psychiatric hospital. At the insistence of his children, Maurice’s violence and erratic behavior led him to remain in the hospital until his death in 1905. Indeed, Maurice Barrymore had a complicated legacy, to say the least. Although Maurice was never truly considered a star, he was nonetheless known as a highly effective supporting actor, and remains revered for being the originator of the Barrymore family's close ties with the showbiz industry.

John Drew Barrymore

Notable Projects: The Wild Wild West, Gunsmoke

The son of John Barrymore and silent film actress Dolores Costello, John Drew Barrymore Jr. was born in 1932 into the existent Barrymore dynasty. John got his first acting role at the age of 8 for various Clint Eastwood-style Western movies. Early in his career, John Drew Barrymore continued to star in small roles in films that weren’t very successful, leading him to a television career where he starred in guest roles on different anthology series in the 1950s. Barrymore then shifted back into movies where he was featured in film noirs like While the City Sleeps before venturing to Italy, where he made a number of Italian dramas.

Barrymore returned to Hollywood after 5 years, where he again starred in various television shows. This includes Dundee and the Culhane, Run For Your Life, The Wild Wild West, and Gunsmoke. In 1975, John's wife Jaid Barrymore gave birth to their daughter Drew, who remains the most well-known member of the Barrymore family. For his contributions to television, John Drew Barrymore has his own Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Notably, despite being estranged from her father, Drew Barrymore took care of John in his last years until he succumbed to cancer in 2004. Drew spread his father's ashes at his favorite place, Joshua Tree National Park.

Ethel Barrymore

Notable Projects: Captain Jinks and the Horse Marines, None but the Lonely Heart, Ethel Barrymore Theater

Getting her start at the same time as her brothers John and Lionel, Ethel Barrymore is regarded as one of the greatest stage actresses of all time, earning the nickname “The First Lady of the American Theater.” Ethel first appeared on Broadway in 1895, whereafter she was recruited by a troupe in London to perform a tour that gave her great acclaim by men around the world, including Winston Churchill who actually proposed marriage to her. Upon returning to the U.S., Ethel became a bona fide star when playing the lead role in Captain Jinks and the Horse Marines.

Ethel Barrymore continued to have a successful career on the stage, though she also occasionally appeared in films and radio broadcasts. Ethel then won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in None but the Lonely Heart (1944) opposite iconic movie actor Cary Grant. After starring in several film noirs and dramas like The Spiral Staircase and The Paradine Case, Barrymore even began her own TV series titled Ethel Barrymore Theater. After passing in 1959, Barrymore was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 along with her brothers and remains one of the most highly regarded Barrymore family members.

Diana Barrymore

Notable Projects: Eagle Squadron, Nightmare

Diana Barrymore was the daughter of John Barrymore, making her the aunt of actress Drew Barrymore. As a teenager, Barrymore decided to begin her career on the stage, which earned her a cover on Life magazine due to the family’s notoriety in the theater. At the age of 20, Diana moved into feature films where she starred in a few movies like Eagle Squadron, Nightmare, and Ladies Courageous. Notably, Diana Barrymore's immense talent and personality were equally attached to controversy and acclaim. In fact, Diana was supposed to host the first talk show in history in 1950, but she showed up too drunk to do the job on the first day.

Today, the legendary Joe Franklin is credited for inventing the talk show format — but CBS' The Diana Barrymore Show actually predates Franklin's first show by two years - and her niece's The Drew Barrymore Show by seven decades. While many female celebrities host talk shows today, this wasn't the case in the '50s. However, because of Diana, there was a moment in the 20th century when the first-ever television talk show host was supposed to be a woman. Diana passed away in 1960 at the young age of 38 from a suspected drug overdose, but her death has long been subject to speculation due to her autopsy revealing not much about her death.

The Barrymore Family Curse: Is It A Real Thing?

An Ignorant Tabloid Term Lingered Over The Family

Due to the high profile of the famous Barrymore family over the years, the challenges and tragedies that the family has faced have been made very public. These include Maurice's hospitalization, Diana's premature passing, John's alcoholism, John Jr.'s estrangement from his family, Drew's own struggles with addiction, and the untimely death of Drew's half-sister Jessica Blyth Barrymore due to an accidental overdose. Because of this recurring pattern within the famous acting family, the concept of a "Barrymore family curse" was coined. However, this curse, which is said to impact every generation of Barrymores up until movie star Drew Barrymore, is not a real thing.

To refer to the Barrymores' history of substance abuse and mental health challenges as a "curse" is to misrepresent the often genetic risk factors of addiction and the very real pressures that come from being public figures from a renowned acting dynasty. There's no supernatural phenomenon preying on the Barrymore family, but addiction and the harm it can do to a family are very real. The Barrymores have had their struggles, to be certain, but they are real people whose story mirrors those of untold other families that don't have the same level of fame or resources. Addiction isn't a curse but a treatable condition that should be recognized as such and not shamed.

Drew Barrymore's success since her rehabilitation is a testament to the Barrymore family curse's fictitiousness. The actress has made a wonderful career for herself after her battle with addiction as a young adult, amassing a $200 million fortune, starring in a significant number of well-regarded films, and now hosting her own talk show. Clearly, even if the myth of the Barrymore family curse were true, Drew Barrymore has overcome it with flying colors.

Other Famous Acting Families Besides The Barrymores

The Coppola Family Extends Into Acting, Directing And Writing In Hollywood

The Barrymores aren’t the only acting dynasties that still have prominent members today. Other families include the Coppolas, the Arquette family, the Baldwin brothers, the Fonda family, and the Carradine family. Interestingly, many of these families tend to take up different areas of acting or filmmaking, such as the Carradines being known for Westerns, the Coppolas for gangster movies, the Fondas for drama, and the Baldwins, especially Alec Baldwin, for comedy like Saturday Night Live. The Barrymore family has also been known for dramatic and comedic roles over the years, which isn’t surprising when considering their roots in Vaudeville.