Lionel (Blythe) Barrymore
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Lionel Herbert (Blythe) Barrymore (1878 - 1954)

Lionel Herbert Barrymore formerly Blythe aka Blyth
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniamap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 19 Jun 1904 (to Dec 1922) in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United Statesmap
Husband of — married 14 Jun 1923 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United Statesmap
[children unknown]
Died at age 76 in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, Californiamap
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Profile last modified | Created 16 Aug 2014
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Biography

Notables Project
Lionel (Blythe) Barrymore is Notable.

The legendary Lionel Barrymore, one of the great cinema character actors, was the oldest of the three Barrymore siblings. Along with Ethel Barrymore and John Barrymore, he shares a prominent place in American acting in the first half of the 20th Century.

He was born Lionel Herbert Blythe on April 28, 1878 in Philadelphia, the son of actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew Barrymore. ("Barrymore" was a stage name). Though raised a Catholic, he attended Philadelphia's Episcopal Academy. He joined the family business and in the mid-1890s, acting.

Lionel never developed a reputation as a stage actor as did his siblings John (who still reigns as the definitive American Hamlet) and sister Ethel. As a screen actor, he was ranked among the best.

In the 1930s, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was asked if he thought Lionel Barrymore was the greatest actor in America, FDR replied, "I am the greatest actor in America." Both were masters of the radio waves, FDR with his fireside chats, Lionel with his annual broadcast of "A Christmas Carol" in which he played Scrooge.

He died on November 15, 1954 at the age of 76 after suffering a heart attack.

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Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore



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He was buried beside his wife, Irene Fenwick, and his brother, John Barrymore, at The Calvary Cemetery. He was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street for his work in motion pictures. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=61