John Barrymore is one of the internationally known American stage and screen actors. He was born on 15 February 1882 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. This actor's original name was John Sidney Blyth, later he adopted his present name. His continual success stories and immediate popularity earned him the nicknames of the Great Profile and Jack. John was a handsome and appealing man. His personality complimented his looks. He started his stage career at the age of 18, while he helped his father in producing a film. Since then he felt a strong urge to become a stage artist.
The achievements of John Barrymore can be seen in trivial comedies but he created a notable instance in his performance of John Galworthy’s Justice in1916. He played important roles like Peter Ibbetson (1917) and The Jest (1919), which earned him fame. In his entire lifetime, he considers the role of Richard III, which he played in 1920 as the best in his career. He played another great Shakespearean character of Hamlet, which was hugely popular and was staged in Broadway nearly 101 times and also in London in the year 1925. He also played silent-film roles including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920), Sherlock Holmes (1922), A.J. Raffles in Raffles the Amateur Cracksman (1917), The Sea Beast (1926), Beau Brummel (1924) and Don Juan (1926).
Biography of John Barrymore
Actor John Barrymore was born of one of the most popular theatrical family in America. His father was Maurice Blyth
and took the name of Maurice Barrymore
|
for his acting career. Georgie Drew - his mother was the daughter of famous actor John Drew. John Barrymore and his siblings Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore became legendary actors, even surpassing the talents of their parents. John's educational background was not that extensive. He was the former student of King's College, Wimbledon and New York's Art Students League. After he completed his academic study, he worked as a freelance artist and also drew some sketches for the New York Evening Journal.
Finally, he gave up drawing as a profession and in 1909 became one of the most acclaimed stars of Broadway Theater. In 1922, Barrymore became known for his Hamlet performance in New York and London. Meanwhile, he had also made a name for acting in motion pictures. His screen debut was most probably An American Citizen in 1914. He reached the highest point of stardom though his striking matinée looks and acting skills that made him hugely popular with the audience. Barrymore delivered some of the best films and on stage performances in theater and cinema history of America. He was revered by all as one of America’s greatest performer spanning around 25 years as a leading character in over 60 films. His critically acclaimed performances are still a matter of awe to the contemporary actors and audiences.
However, John Barrymore could not give his best in the last few films such as in Playmates (1941). His brilliant soliloquy of Hamlet was a striking contrast to the films of his last years. He died in 1942 of pneumonia and cirrhosis of the liver. The whole nation mourned the loss of one of the greatest stars of the American screen.
|
