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 actress Drew Barrymore. His half-sister was Diana Barrymore from his father's second marriage.
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| 1 | Daughter Jessica, whom he fathered with third wife Nina Wayne, was found dead from a drug overdose in her car in July 2014. She was two days away from her 48th birthday. |
| 2 | Grandfather of John Blyth Barrymore IV, Sabrina Brooke and Blyth Lane Barrymore (John's children). |
| 3 | Father-in-law of Antonio Gioffredi (Dolores' husband). Grandfather of Gabriella and Nicole Gioffredi. |
| 4 | Father-in-law of Will Kopelman third husband of his daughter Drew. |
| 5 | Grandfather of Olive and Frankie Barrymore Kopelman, Drew's daughters. |
| 6 | Made his TV debut on Pantomime Quiz on February 22, 1952. |
| 7 | Former father-in-law of Tom Green, Jeremy Thomas, Jacqueline Barrymore and Rebecca Pogrow. |
| 8 | Had a daughter, (Brahma) Jessica (Blyth) Barrymore (1966-2014) with actress Nina Wayne. |
| 9 | His father, the legendary actor John Barrymore, had left specific instructions in his will that his body be cremated and his ashes be laid to rest next to his father and mother in the family cemetery in Philadelphia. However, due to the fact that his brother Lionel Barrymore and sister Ethel Barrymore were Catholic and cremation had not at that time been sanctioned by the Catholic Church, the executors (Lionel and Mervyn LeRoy) pulled some fancy judicial manipulations, and Barrymore's remains were entombed at Calvary Cemetery, in Los Angeles after his death in 1942. In 1980, Barrymore decided -- after hearing a rendition of "The Cremation of Sam McGee" -- that it was high time to have his Dad cremated. He recruited his son, John Blyth Barrymore, to help. The gravediggers removed the "Good Night, Sweet Prince" marble monument from the front of the crypt, and the smell assaulted them. Barrymore had been dead for 38 years, and the body was still decomposing. The casket was solid bronze, and although it had a glass liner, it must have cracked or something, because the fluids from the body had leaked out and had formed a kind of glue between the casket and the floor of the crypt. They muscled the coffin up on the hand truck and wheeled it down a long ramp to a van they had waiting outside. The body fluids were leaking out all the way. They cruised over to the Odd Fellows Cemetery, which had the nearest crematorium, and made the cremation preparations. John Jr. insisted on having a look inside the casket before they left. After viewing the body, he came out white as a sheet and crying. He got in the car and said to his son, "Thank God I'm drunk; I'll never remember it." John Blyth Barrymore got a graphic description later from one of the eye-witnesses. Apparently, all the bouncing around during the move had sort of busted the jaw apart from what was left of the head. They were convinced it was John Barrymore by the very high quality dental work, and because, although most of the flesh on the nose had decomposed, an incredibly long nose cartilage remained. |
| 10 | Father of Blythe Dolores Barrymore (born October 28, 1962) with Gabriella Palazzoli. |
| 11 | In daughter Drew's memoir "Little Girl Lost," she offered a blistering account of her absent father, including his considerable brushes with the law, his alcoholism, drug abuse and penchant for domestic violence. She summed up their relationship as "abusive" and "chaotic." Drew herself battled alcohol and substance abuse at age 12. Ironically, in his final years, daughter Drew helped pay his bills for an assisted-living facility. |
| 12 | He inherited a chest full of family memorabilia and collectibles when his mother, actress Dolores Costello, died in 1979. They included family photos, journals, movie stills, and letters. He had a friend, Carol Stein Hoffman, turn the archives into a coffee table book entitled "The Barrymores: Hollywood's First Family," which was published in 2001. |
| 13 | In 2003, wheelchair bound, he appeared in a Los Angeles court hearing to determine who will act as his guardian. He suffers from both physical and mental illness. |
| 14 | Nephew of Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore - his father's siblings. |
| 15 | Nephew of Helene Costello - his mother's sibling. |
| 16 | Father of John Blyth Barrymore. |
| 17 | Was cast in the starring role of Lazarus in a Star Trek (1966) episode called the "Alternative Factor." He walked off the set and didn't return. Another actor had to be found at the last minute to replace him. |
| 18 | When they were both 13 years old, John and his cousin, Dirk Drew Davenport, successfully enlisted in the US Navy (it was during WW2), presenting themselves as 17 year olds. Being tall and well-built (especially for thirteen), it was several weeks before the Navy (and their family) uncovered their patriotic charade. |
| 19 | His career was ruined by drug busts. |
| 20 | Father of actress Drew Barrymore. |
| 21 | Son of actor John Barrymore and actress Dolores Costello. |
| 22 | Born at 3:42pm-PDT. |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| Baby Blue Marine | 1976 | uncredited | |
| Kung Fu | 1974 | TV Series | Alex McGregor |
| The Clones | 1973 | | Brooks Brothers Hippie (as John Barrymore Jr.) |
| This Savage Land | 1969 | TV Movie | Stacy Daggart |
| Dundee and the Culhane | 1967 | TV Series | Royal Bodie |
| Winchester 73 | 1967 | TV Movie | Preacher |
| Jericho | 1966 | TV Series | Captain Hoeg |
| The Road West | 1966 | TV Series | Stacey Daggart |
| Run for Your Life | 1966 | TV Series | Goebels |
| The Wild Wild West | 1965 | TV Series | American Knife |
| Rawhide | 1959-1965 | TV Series | Danny Hawks / Harry Eccles / Harry Tasunka |
| Gunsmoke | 1965 | TV Series | Mace Gore / Anderson |
| Crimine a due | 1964 | | Paul Morand |
| Death on the Fourposter | 1964 | | Anthony |
| Rome Against Rome | 1964 | | Aderbad |
| The Christine Keeler Story | 1963 | | Dr. Stephen Ward |
| Arms of the Avenger | 1963 | | |
| Natika | 1963 | | |
| Invasion 1700 | 1962 | | Bohun |
| Pontius Pilate | 1962 | | Judas Jesus |
| The Trojan Horse | 1961 | | Ulysses |
| The Centurion | 1961 | | Diaeus |
| The Pharaohs' Woman | 1960 | | Sabaku prince of Bubastis |
| I'll See You in Hell | 1960 | | Walter |
| Les nuits de Raspoutine | 1960 | | Prince Felix Yousoupoff |
| The Cossacks | 1960 | | Jamal |
| Night of the Quarter Moon | 1959 | | Roderic 'Chuck' Nelson |
| Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | 1958 | TV Series | Little Horse |
| Matinee Theatre | 1956-1958 | TV Series | Hadrian |
| Never Love a Stranger | 1958 | | Francis 'Frankie' Kane |
| High School Confidential! | 1958 | | J. I. Coleridge |
| Wagon Train | 1958 | TV Series | Ruttledge Munroe |
| Climax! | 1956-1957 | TV Series | Herm Farley / Matt |
| Playhouse 90 | 1957 | TV Series | Lt. Stegel / James Keller |
| The Shadow on the Window | 1957 | | Jess Reber (as John Barrymore Jr.) |
| The 20th Century-Fox Hour | 1957 | TV Series | Hunt Bromley |
| While the City Sleeps | 1956 | | Robert Manners (as John Barrymore Jr.) |
| The Adventures of Lt. Contee | 1955 | TV Movie | Lt. Marcus Contee (as John Barrymore Jr.) |
| The Reluctant Redeemer | 1954 | TV Movie | Moses (as John Barrymore Dr.) |
| Schlitz Playhouse | 1953 | TV Series | |
| Thunderbirds | 1952 | | Pvt. Tom McCreery (as John Barrymore Jr.) |
| The Big Night | 1951 | | George La Main (as John Barrymore Jr.) |
| Quebec | 1951 | | Mark Douglas (as John Barrymore Jr.) |
| High Lonesome | 1950 | | Cooncat (as John Barrymore Jr.) |
| The Sundowners | 1950 | | The Younger Brother - Jeff Cloud (as John Barrymore Jr.) |
| We, the People | 1949 | TV Series | |
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$1.6 Million
