Lionel Barrymore on stage, screen and radio

Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; 1878–1954) was an American actor of stage, screen, and radio. He also directed several films, wrote scripts, created etchings, sketches, and composed music.^[1] He was the eldest child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgie Drew Barrymore, and his two siblings were John and Ethel; these and other family members were part of an acting dynasty.^[2][3] Reluctant to follow his parents' career,^[4] Barrymore appeared together with his grandmother Louisa Lane Drew in a stage production of The Rivals at the age of 15.^[5] He soon found success on stage in character roles. Although he took a break from acting in 1906–1909 to train in Paris as a painter, he was not successful as an artist, and returned to the US and acting.^[1] He also joined his family troupe, from 1910, in their vaudeville act.^[6]

Barrymore in the 1910s

Barrymore began his film career in 1911, appearing in numerous silent films, many of which have subsequently been lost. In 1911, he signed a contract with the Biograph Company and appeared as a character actor in short films, many of them directed by D. W. Griffith, before moving into feature-length productions in 1914.^[1] He began writing scripts and directing films shortly afterwards, and for the next five years, he did not act on the legitimate stage.^[7] Although he had several successes on Broadway after the First World War, he encountered strongly negative criticism in a 1921 production of Macbeth, and in three productions in a row in 1925. Afterwards, he never again appeared on the New York stage.^[1] In 1925, he signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he became a close friend of Louis B. Mayer, for whom he made numerous films.^[1] He directed several films from 1929 to 1931, but concentrated on acting afterwards.^[8][9]

Barrymore became well known in curmudgeonly roles.^[10] In 1938, he broke his hip, and, aggravated by arthritis, he lived the remainder of his life in a wheelchair.^[11] Mayer made sure that roles were found or written to accommodate Barrymore, who continued to act in films until 1953.^[1][12] During that time, he appeared as Dr. Gillespie in the popular Dr. Kildare film series, with Lew Ayres in the title role,^[13] and as Mr. Potter in It's a Wonderful Life—a role that was highly placed on the American Film Institute's list of the 100 Heroes and Villains^[14] in a film that the critic Philip French described as "a complex inspirational work".^[15] Beginning in the 1930s, Barrymore increasingly worked in radio, initially as Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, which was broadcast annually from 1934 to 1953,^[16] then in Mayor of the Town, beginning in 1942,^[17] and also in a radio series spun off from the Dr. Kildare films (playing the same character that he had played in the films), among others.^[18]

Two of the films in which Barrymore appeared—Grand Hotel (1932), and You Can't Take It with You (1938)—won the Academy Award for Best Picture.^[19][20] He was considered for the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1929 film, Madame X,^[a] and won the Best Actor award for his performance in A Free Soul (1931). He was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960,^[22] and is, along with his two siblings, included in the American Theater Hall of Fame.^[23]

Stage appearances

Barrymore (right), with his siblings John and Ethel, 1904^[b]

Barrymore (left) with his brother John in The Jest, September 1919

Barrymore in July 1921

Barrymore in 1923

Barrymore's stage appearances

Production[25][26][27]	Date	Theatre (New York City, unless stated)	Role	Notes
The Rivals	November 28, 1893	The Auditorium, Kansas City		Billed as Lional Barrymore
The Road to Ruin	January 15, 1894	Star Theatre	Footman
The Bachelor's Baby	October 21, 1895	Park Theatre, Boston	Sgt. Jones	Subsequently, at the Star Theatre, Buffalo, from January 12, 1897.
Mary Pennington, Spinster	October 12, 1896	Palmer's Theatre	Watson
Squire Kate	October 26, 1896	Palmer's Theatre	Lord Silversnake
Cumberland '61	October 18, 1897	14th Street Theatre	Adolfus Drayton Lenox
A Wife's Peril	1898	Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Magda	1898	Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Oliver Twist	1898	Minneapolis–Saint Paul
East Lynne	1898	Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Camille	1898	Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Uncle Dick	October 6, 1898	Star Theatre, Buffalo	Lawrence Sherman
Honorable John Rigsby	November 28, 1898	New National Theatre, Washington	Harold Marson	Subsequently, at the Powers' Theatre, Chicago from January 23, 1899, for two weeks.
Arizona	February 11, 1900	Chicago Grand Opera House, Chicago	Sgt. Kellar
Rain Clouds	1900	Albany, New York
The Rivals	1900	Albany, New York
An Arabian Night	1900	Albany, New York
Sag Harbor	September 27, 1900 – December 1900	Republic Theatre	Frank Turner	Ran for 76 performances
Brixton Burglary	May 20, 1901 – July 8, 1901	Herald Square Theatre		Ran for 48 performances
The Second in Command	September 2, 1901 – December 1901	Empire Theatre		Ran for 128 performances
The Mummy and the Hummingbird	September 4, 1902 – November 1902 and April 1903 – ?	Empire Theatre	Giuseppe	Ran for 85 performances in 1902 and then a second run in 1903
The Best of Friends	October 19, 1903 – December 1903	Academy of Music	Kid Garvey	Ran for 65 performances
The Other Girl	December 29, 1903 – May 1904	Criterion Theatre	Mr. Sheldon	Ran for 160 performances, transferring to the Empire Theatre on January 25, 1904, and then to the Lyceum Theatre on May 2, 1904
Pantaloon/Alice Sit-by-the-Fire	December 25, 1905 – March 1906	Criterion Theatre	Pantaloon	Ran for 81 performances; double bill with his siblings
The Fires of Fate	December 6, 1909	Illinois Theatre, Chicago	Abdulla	Barrymore left the production at the end of December
The Jail Bird	January 31, 1910	Victoria Theater
The White Slaver	February 22, 1910	Majestic Theatre, Chicago	Italian laborer	Written by Barrymore; co-starred first wife Doris Rankin
Bob Acres	September 11, 1911	Brooklyn	Sir Lucius O'Trigger
Stalled	1912
The Still Voice	March 26, 1912	Cincinnati
Peter Ibbetson	April 17, 1917 – June 1917	Republic Theatre	Colonel Ibbetson	Ran for 71 performances; with John Barrymore
The Copperhead	February 18, 1918 – June 1918	Shubert Theatre	Milt Shanks	Ran for 120 performances
The Jest	April 9, 1919 – February 28, 1920	Plymouth Theatre	Neri Chiaramantesi	Ran for 77 performances and then another 179 performances after a summer break; adapted play with E. Sheldon and John Barrymore (co-star)
The Letter of the Law	February 23, 1920 – July 1920	Criterion Theatre	Mouzon	Ran for 89 performances
Macbeth	February 17, 1921 –March 1921	Apollo Theatre	Macbeth	Ran for 28 performances
The Claw	October 17, 1921 – January 1922	Broadhurst Theatre	Achille Cortelon	Ran for 115 performances; co-starred Doris Rankin and Irene Fenwick (second wife)
Laugh, Clown, Laugh	November 28, 1923 – March 1924	Belasco Theatre	Tito Beppi, Flik	Ran for 133 performances
The Piker	January 15, 1925 – February 1925	Eltinge Theatre	Bernie Kaplan	Ran for 44 performances
Taps	April 14, 1925 – May 1925	Broadhurst Theatre	Sergeant Volkhardt	Ran for 32 performances
Man or Devil	May 21, 1925 – June 1925	Broadhurst Theatre	Nicholas Snyders	Ran for 20 performances

Filmography

As actor

Poster for Three Friends, 1913

The Wanderer, 1913

Ad for The Quitter, 1916

Ad for Dorian's Divorce, 1916

Ad for The Millionaire's Double, 1917

Barrymore in The Copperhead, 1920

Lantern slide for The Devil's Garden, 1920; Barrymore—on the right—appeared with his wife, Doris Rankin, who sits on the left.

Barrymore and Seena Owen in The Face in the Fog, 1922

Barrymore in Ah, Wilderness!, 1935

Barrymore in a trailer for David Copperfield, 1935

Barrymore in Camille, 1936

Poster for A Family Affair, 1937

Barrymore celebrating his 61st birthday in 1939. Back, from left: Mickey Rooney, Robert Montgomery, Clark Gable, William Powell, and Robert Taylor; center: Louis B. Mayer; front, from left: Norma Shearer, Barrymore, and Rosalind Russell.

Barrymore in The Bad Man, 1941

Barrymore in 1946 on the set of Duel in the Sun with, from the left, Helen Hayes, Anita Loos, and Lillian Gish.

Barrymore as Mr. Potter in It's a Wonderful Life, 1946

The list does not include the 1913 film The Vengeance of Galora, which Barrymore wrote. Although some sources list him as also appearing in the film, his biographers, James Kotsilibas-Davis and Margot Peters, separately state he did not. Kotsilibas-Davis also lists Fighting Blood (1911), My Hero (1912), and The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) as films in which Barrymore did not appear, despite claims of other biographers to the contrary; Peters does not list the films in her filmography of the actor.^[7][28]

Barrymore's filmography

Film[26][8][9]	Year	Role	Notes	Ref.
Fighting Blood	1911		Debut with Biograph.	[citation needed]
The Battle	1911	Wagon driver	Uncredited	[29]
The Miser's Heart	1911	Jules		[30]
Home Folks	1912	–		[31]
Friends	1912	Grizzley Fallon		[32]
So Near, Yet so Far	1912	–		[7]
The Chief's Blanket	1912	Young man	Lost film	[33]
The One She Loved	1912	Neighbor		[34]
The Painted Lady	1912	Woodsman		[34]
Heredity	1912	–	Lost film	[35] [36]
Gold and Glitter	1912	–		[7]
My Baby	1912	–		[37]
The Informer	1912	Union soldier		[38]
Brutality	1912	–		[39]
The New York Hat	1912	Preacher Bolton		[40]
The Burglar's Dilemma	1912	Householder	Actor and writer	[41]
A Cry for Help	1912	–	Lost film	[37]
The God Within	1912	–		[42]
Three Friends	1913	Second friend	Lost film	[43]
The Telephone Girl and the Lady	1913	Desk sergeant		[44]
An Adventure in the Autumn Woods	1913	Father	Lost film	[45]
The Tender Hearted Boy	1913	–	Actor and writer Lost film	[46]
Oil and Water	1913	–		[47]
A Chance Deception	1913	–	Lost film	[31]
Love in an Apartment Hotel	1913	–	Lost film	[48]
The Wrong Bottle	1913	–	Lost film	[49]
A Girl's Stratagem	1913	–	Lost film	[50]
The Unwelcome Guest	1913	–		[49]
Near to Earth	1913	–	Lost film	[37]
Fate	1913	–		[51]
The Sheriff's Baby	1913	–	Lost film	[52]
The Perfidy of Mary	1913	–		[37]
The Little Tease	1913	–		[7]
A Misunderstood Boy	1913	–		[53]
The Lady and the Mouse	1913	–		[54]
The Wanderer	1913	–		[50]
The House of Darkness	1913	–		[55]
The Yaqui Cur	1913	–		[56]
Just Gold	1913	–		[57]
The Ranchero's Revenge	1913	–	Lost film	[58]
A Timely Interception	1913	–		[50]
Red Hicks Defies the World	1913	–	Lost film	[59]
The Well	1913	–	Lost film	[37]
Death's Marathon	1913	Financial backer		[60]
The Switch Tower	1913	–		[50]
Almost a Wild Man	1913	–		[31]
In Diplomatic Circles	1913	–	Lost film	[31]
A Gamble with Death	1913	Jim Benton	Lost film	[61]
The Enemy's Baby	1913	–	Lost film	[7]
Pa Says	1913	Teddy's Rival		[62]
The Mirror	1913	–	Lost film	[7]
Under the Shadow of the Law	1913	–	Lost film	[63]
I Was Meant for You	1913	–	Lost film	[31]
An Indian's Loyalty	1913	–	Lost film	[31]
The Suffragette Minstrels	1913	–	Lost film	[62]
The Work Habit	1913	–	Lost film	[63]
The Crook and the Girl	1913	–	Lost film	[7]
The Strong Man's Burden	1913	–	*Lionel designed the lobby poster for this movie. Lost film	[63]
The Stolen Treaty	1913	–	Lost film	[64]
So Runs the Way	1913	–	Lost film	[63]
All for Science	1913	–	Lost film	[65]
The Battle at Elderbush Gulch	1913	–		[58]
The House of Discord	1913	–		[50]
The Bartered Crown	1914	Landlord	Lost film	[66]
Classmates	1914	Dumble		[67]
Her Father's Silent Partner	1914	–	Lost film	[68]
The Massacre	1914	–		[69]
Judith of Bethulia	1914	–		[70]
Strongheart	1914	–	Lost film	[71]
Brute Force	1914	–		[50]
Woman Against Woman	1914	–		[72]
The Cracksman's Gratitude	1914	–	Lost film	[66]
Men and Women	1914	–		[50]
The Power of the Press	1914	Steve Carson		[73]
The Woman in Black	1914	Robert Crane		[74]
The Span of Life	1914	Richard Blunt	Lost film	[75][76]
The Seats of the Mighty	1914	Monsieur Doltaire	Lost film	[77][78]
Under the Gaslight	1914	William Byke	Lost film	[79][80]
Wildfire	1915	John Keefe		[81]
A Modern Magdalen	1915	Lindsay	Lost film	[82]
The Curious Conduct of Judge Legarde	1915	Judge Randolph Legarde	Lost film	[83]
The Romance of Elaine	1915	Elaine	Lost film	[72]
The Flaming Sword	1915	–	Lost film	[84]
Dora Thorne	1915	Lord Earle	Lost film	[85][86]
A Yellow Streak	1915	Barry Dale	Lost film	[87][88]
Dorian's Divorce	1916	Richard Dorian		[89]
The Quitter	1916	"Happy Jack" Lewis		[90]
The Upheaval	1916	Jim Gordon		[91]
The Brand of Cowardice	1916	Cyril Hamilton	Lost film	[92]
The End of the Tour	1917	Byron Bennett	Lost film	[93]
His Father's Son	1917	J. Dabney Barron		[94]
The Millionaire's Double	1917	Bide Bennington	Lost film	[95][96]
National Red Cross Pageant	1917	Himself	Lost film; Ethel appeared with Lionel in Camille scene	[97][98]
The Copperhead	1920	Milt Shanks		[99]
The Master Mind	1920	Henry Allen	Lost film	[100][101]
The Devil's Garden	1920	William Dale	Lost film	[102][103]
The Great Adventure	1921	Priam Farll		[104]
Jim the Penman	1921	James Ralston	Incomplete film	[105]
Boomerang Bill	1922	Boomerang Bill	Incomplete film	[106]
The Face in the Fog	1922	Boston Blackie Dawson	Incomplete film	[107]
Enemies of Women	1923	Prince Lubimoff	Incomplete film	[108][109]
Unseeing Eyes	1923	Conrad Dean	Lost film	[110][111]
The Eternal City	1923	Baron Bonelli	Incomplete film, only last two reels exists	[112][113]
America	1924	Capt. Walter Butler		[114]
Decameron Nights	1924	Saladin	Lost film	[115]
Meddling Women	1924	Edwin Ainsworth/John Wells		[116]
I Am the Man	1924	James McQuade	Lost film	[117]
A Man of Iron	1925	Philip Durban	Lost film	[118][119]
The Girl Who Wouldn't Work	1925	Gordon Kent		[120]
Children of the Whirlwind	1925	Joe Ellison	Lost film	[121]
The Wrongdoers	1925	Daniel Abbott		[122]
Fifty-Fifty	1925	Frederick Harmon	Lost film	[123][124]
The Splendid Road	1925	Dan Clehollis	Lost film	[125][126]
The Woman Who Did	1925	Allan Merrick	Lost film	[127]
Ben-Hur	1925	Extra		[128]
Brooding Eyes	1926	Slim Jim Carey	Lost film	[129]
The Barrier	1926	Stark Bennett	Lost film	[130][131]
Wife Tamers	1926	Mr. Barry		[132]
Paris at Midnight	1926	Vautrin		[133]
The Lucky Lady	1926	Count Ferranzo		[134]
The Bells	1926	Mathias		[135]
The Temptress	1926	Canterac		[136]
The Show	1927	The Greek		[137]
Women Love Diamonds	1927	Hugo Harlan		[138]
Body and Soul	1927	Dr. Leyden		[139]
The Thirteenth Hour	1927	Professor Leroy		[140]
Sadie Thompson	1928	Alfred Davidson		[141]
Drums of Love	1928	Duke Cathos de Alvia		[142]
The Lion and the Mouse	1928	"Ready Money" Ryder		[143]
Road House	1928	Henry Grayson	Lost film	[144]
Alias Jimmy Valentine	1928	Doyle	Lost film	[145]
West of Zanzibar	1928	Crane		[146]
The River Woman	1928	Bill Lefty		[147]
The Mysterious Island	1929	Count Andre Dakkar		[148]
The Hollywood Revue of 1929	1929	Himself	–	[149]
Free and Easy	1930	Himself		[150]
Guilty Hands	1931	Richard Grant		[151]
A Free Soul	1931	Stephen Ashe	Barrymore won the Academy Award for Best Actor	[152][153]
The Yellow Ticket	1931	Baron Igor Andreeff		[154]
Mata Hari	1931	General Serge Shubin		[155]
Broken Lullaby	1932	Dr. Holderlin		[156]
Arsène Lupin	1932	Guerchard		[157]
Grand Hotel	1932	Otto Kringelein		[158]
The Washington Masquerade	1932	Jefferson Keane		[159]
Rasputin and the Empress	1932	Rasputin		[160]
Sweepings	1933	Daniel Pardway		[161]
Looking Forward	1933	Benton		[162]
The Stranger's Return	1933	Grandpa Storr		[163]
Dinner at Eight	1933	Oliver Jordan		[164]
One Man's Journey	1933	Eli Watt		[165]
Night Flight	1933	Inspector Robineau		[166]
Christopher Bean	1933	Dr. Milton Haggett		[167]
Should Ladies Behave	1933	Augustus Merrick		[168]
This Side of Heaven	1934	Martin Turner		[169]
Carolina	1934	Bob Connelly		[170]
The Girl from Missouri	1934	T. R. Paige		[171]
Treasure Island	1934	Billy Bones		[172]
David Copperfield	1935	Dan Peggotty		[173]
The Little Colonel	1935	Colonel Lloyd		[174]
Mark of the Vampire	1935	Professor Zelin		[175]
Public Hero No. 1	1935	Dr. Josiah Glass		[176]
The Return of Peter Grimm	1935	Peter Grimm		[177]
Ah, Wilderness!	1935	Nat Miller		[178]
The Voice of Bugle Ann	1936	Spring Davis		[179]
The Road to Glory	1936	La Roche	The character is also known as Private Morain	[180]
The Devil-Doll	1936	Paul Lavond		[181]
The Gorgeous Hussy	1936	Andrew Jackson		[182]
Camille	1936	Monsieur Duval		[183]
A Family Affair	1937	Judge James K. Hardy		[184]
Captains Courageous	1937	Capt. Disko Troop		[185]
Saratoga	1937	Grandpa Clayton		[186]
Navy Blue and Gold	1937	Captain "Skinny" Dawes		[187]
A Yank at Oxford	1938	Dan Sheridan		[188]
Test Pilot	1938	Howard B. Drake		[189]
You Can't Take It with You	1938	Martin Vanderhof		[190]
Young Dr. Kildare	1938	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[191]
Let Freedom Ring	1939	Thomas Logan		[192]
Calling Dr. Kildare	1939	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[193]
On Borrowed Time	1939	Julian Northrup		[194]
The Secret of Dr. Kildare	1939	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[195]
The Stars Look Down	1940	Narrator	Barrymore's narration is on the US release only	[196]
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case	1940	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[197]
Dr. Kildare Goes Home	1940	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[198]
Dr. Kildare's Crisis	1940	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[199]
The Penalty	1941	"Grandpa" Logan		[200]
The Bad Man	1941	Uncle Henry Jones		[201]
The People vs. Dr. Kildare	1941	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[202]
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day	1941	Dr. Leonard Gillespie	Barrymore also composed the music	[203][204]
Lady Be Good	1941	Judge Murdock		[205]
Dr. Kildare's Victory	1942	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[206]
Calling Dr. Gillespie	1942	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[207]
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant	1942	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[208]
Tennessee Johnson	1942	Thaddeus Stevens		[209]
Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case	1943	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[210]
The Last Will and Testament of Tom Smith	1943	Gramps	Short	[211]
A Guy Named Joe	1943	The General		[212]
3 Men in White	1944	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[213]
Since You Went Away	1944	Clergyman		[214]
Dragon Seed	1944	Narrator		[215]
Thousands Cheer	1944	Announcer		[216]
Between Two Women	1945	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[217]
The Valley of Decision	1945	Pat Rafferty		[218]
Three Wise Fools	1946	Dr. Richard Gaunght		[219]
It's a Wonderful Life	1946	Henry F. Potter		[220]
The Secret Heart	1946	Dr. Rossiger		[221]
Duel in the Sun	1946	Senator Jackson McCanles		[222]
Dark Delusion	1947	Dr. Leonard Gillespie		[223]
Key Largo	1948	James Temple		[224]
Down to the Sea in Ships	1949	Captain Bering Joy		[225]
Malaya	1949	John Manchester		[226]
Right Cross	1950	Sean O'Malley		[227]
Bannerline	1951	Hugo Trimble		[228]
Lone Star	1952	Andrew Jackson		[229]
Main Street to Broadway	1953	Himself		[230]
Our Mr. Sun	1956	Father Times	voice (released posthumously)	[231]

As director

Barrymore directing The Rogue Song (1930)

Barrymore's director credits

Film[26][8][9]	Year	Notes	Ref.
His Secret	1914	Lost film	[7]
Where's the Baby?	1914	Lost film	[7]
No Place for Father	1914	Lost film	[232]
Just Boys	1914	Lost film	[7]
Chocolate Dynamite	1914	Lost film	[7][233]
Life's Whirlpool	1917	Also writer; lost film	[234]
His Glorious Night	1929	Barrymore also composed the music	[235][31]
Madame X	1929	Barrymore was considered for the Academy Award for Best Director	[236][237]
The Unholy Night	1929		[238]
Confession	1929		[239]
The Rogue Song	1930		[240]
Redemption	1930	Only for retakes	[241]
The Sea Bat	1930	Uncredited	[242]
Guilty Hands	1931	Uncredited	[151]
Ten Cents a Dance	1931		[243]

Radio broadcasts

Barrymore broadcasting on the Armed Forces Radio Service, c. 1947

Barrymore's radio credits (selected)

Title	Date	Role	Network	Notes	Ref.
A Christmas Carol	December 25, 1934 – December 25, 1953	Ebenezer Scrooge	CBS	Broadcast annually on Christmas Day	[16]
Mayor of the Town	1942–1949	The Mayor	ABC, CBS, Mutual, and NBC	Barrymore also composed the theme	[244][17]
Screen Guild Players: "The Old Lady Shows Her Medals"	October 7, 1946	Narrator	CBS	Barrymore played the narration as the author, J. M. Barrie	[245]
Dr. Kildare	1949–1952	Dr. Leonard Gillespie	Syndicated		[246][247]
The Hallmark Hall of Fame	1953–1955	Host	CBS		[248]

Television broadcast

Barrymore's television credit

Title	Date	Role	Network	Notes	Ref.
Our Mr. Sun	November 19, 1956	Father Time	CBS	Posthumous Release	[231][249]