John Barrymore was an American actor who initially tried to avoid the screen at any cost. He was born on Feb 14th, 1882. Some data also tells that he was born on the 15th. He had a theatre background as her parents were the actors and all of his siblings were actors too. His parents had a total of 3 children among which John was the youngest. He wasn’t good in schools and was expelled from there many times (from different schools).
Early Career of John Barrymore
His plan was not to be an actor. He wasn’t interested in performing on the stage or performing on in a screen. However, he made his first stage debut because his father convinced him to do so. Thereafter, his father had a breakdown and was admitted to the hospital. It affected John’s mental state. Due to the emotional breakdown of John, he was fired from the illustrator job and started working as a poster designer.
He then realized that the money wasn’t enough to support his family. Therefore, he came into the film industry. Even though he had a family background, it took him years to land his first lead role. He got it in 1907 which was “The Boys of Company B.” It was Lyceum theatre. The audience and critics loved it very much which then opened a lot of doors.
This was the starting of John’s career. He then offered “A Stubborn Cinderella”, and many others. Some of the notable works also include A Thief for a Night, A Slice of Life, and The Fortune Hunter. All these were small roles in theatre after which he got the films.
He made his debut in “An American Citizen” which was a romantic comedy film. Thereafter, he was also in Injustice, On the Quiet, The Test of Honor, The Man Who Laughs, and many others.
John Barrymore Facts
- Before making his first debut in 1913, he worked in 4 films in 1912. Unfortunately, all of them were lost in an explosion. It was at the Lubin vaults.
- He was once punished by the school and made to read Inferno. He fell in love with the illustrations. His first job was also in the same field.
- There were many naught rumors about John. Some said he was expelled from the Georgetown Preparatory school because someone saw him in a Brothel whereas some say he was expelled because he was found intoxicated.
- He was molested by his stepmom. This was the same time when he lost his virginity. As a child, he was emotionally challenged as his mother died when he was just 11 years old. In August 1897, his grandmother who was the main female role model for him also died. The molestation also happened in the same year which made him weaker.
Last Days
In the later days, he became addicted to alcohol for which many studios were not employing him. There were very few shows who were willing to cast him. In 1940, he collapsed while recording a line. He was taken to the hospital and died on May 29, 1942.
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