| John Drew Barrymore | |
|---|---|
| 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 | Cara Williams (1952-59) Gabriella Palazzoli (1960-?) Jaid Barrymore (1971-84) Nina Wayne (1985-94) |
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.
Contents |
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]
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]
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 1966-1967 NBC series The Road West, starring Barry Sullivan.
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.
He married four times, each marriage producing one child, and all four marriages ending in divorce: