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Covers the Acting Profession for Television, Stage and/or Movies, including Award Ceremonies.
For topics about actors only, go to "Actors".
For topics about actresses only, go to "Actresses".
Actors & Actresses who have played the Opposite Sex
YouTube Video from the Movie "Living Dangerously"
Pictured: Linda Hunt playing a boy in "Living Dangerously" and as she appears today.
YouTube Video from the Movie "Living Dangerously"
Pictured: Linda Hunt playing a boy in "Living Dangerously" and as she appears today.
Cross-gender acting refers to an actor or actress portraying a character of the opposite gender. It is distinct from roles where transgender characters or characters who cross-dress are played.
Click here for more about cross-gender acting.
Click here for more about cross-gender acting.
Former Child Actors
YouTube Video of Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney as Child Actors
Pictured: Mickey Rooney & Elizabeth Taylor from National Velvet, and Andy Griffith & Ron Howard from the Andy Griffith Show.
This is a list of former child actors from the United States. These notable actors were age 17 or younger at the time that they started acting, but are currently are 18 years or over. The list also includes child actors now deceased.
List of People who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and/or Tony Award.
YouTube Video of Whoopi Goldberg winning best supporting actress for "Ghost"
Pictured: Audrey Hepburn and Mel Brooks.
Twelve people have won all four major annual American entertainment awards in a competitive individual (non-group) category: the Emmy Grammy Oscar and Tony.
Show Business Families
Pictured: Keith Carradine and Drew Barrymore
This is a list of show business families. It is contemporary (in the sense that a professional offshoot should still be working in the 20th or 21st-centuries) and should be expanded. The guideline is that at least one of the relationships in the clan should be by blood – siblings parents children cousins and so on. Following families are brothers and sisters who are recognizable as celebrity siblings (and who may be listed within families as well).
List of Highest Paid Film Actors & Actresses of All Time
YouTube of Sandra Bullock adrift in Space in the 2013 movie "Gravity"
Pictured: Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
Salaries for the world's highest paid film actors currently range from $20–30 million, but an actor can earn substantially more by deferring all or part of their salary against a percentage of the film's gross, known within the industry as a "profit participation" deal. Since not all salaries are made public, this is a non-definitive list of actors who have received $30 million or more as compensation for their services.
The figures are given at their nominal value, since earnings from profit based deals are accumulated over many years, making it unfeasible to adjust for inflation.
Click here for more about the List of the World's Highest Paid Film Actors/Actresses.
The figures are given at their nominal value, since earnings from profit based deals are accumulated over many years, making it unfeasible to adjust for inflation.
Click here for more about the List of the World's Highest Paid Film Actors/Actresses.
Golden Globe Awards
YouTube Video of Dustin Hoffman in "The Rain Man"
Pictured: (Pictured: Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln" & Dustin Hoffman Starring (along with Tom Cruise) in "The Rain Man"
The Golden Globe Award is an American accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. The annual formal ceremony and dinner at which the awards are presented is a major part of the film industry's awards season, which culminates each year with the Academy Awards.
Click here for more about the Golden Globe Awards.
Click here for more about the Golden Globe Awards.
Peoples Choice Award for Actors and Actresses in TV or Films.
YouTube Video of Johnny Depp performing in the "Pirates of the Caribbean"
Pictured: Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean" & Meryl Streep in "The Bridges of Madison County"
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing the people and the work of popular culture, voted on by the general public.
The show has been held annually since 1975. The People's Choice Awards is broadcast on CBS and is produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor producer, Mark Burnett. The first awards recognized "The Sting" (1973) as Favorite Picture of 1974, Barbra Streisand as the year's Favorite Film Actress, and John Wayne as its Favorite Film Actor.
Ratings for the annual event peaked in 1977, when the third People's Choice Awards attracted 35.3 million viewers who witnessed Farrah Fawcett win the award for Favorite Female TV Star, "Star Wars" (the original 1977 Movie) win as the Favorite Picture, and Streisand and Wayne win again in the Film Actress and Actor categories.
Click here for more about the People's Choice Awards.
The show has been held annually since 1975. The People's Choice Awards is broadcast on CBS and is produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor producer, Mark Burnett. The first awards recognized "The Sting" (1973) as Favorite Picture of 1974, Barbra Streisand as the year's Favorite Film Actress, and John Wayne as its Favorite Film Actor.
Ratings for the annual event peaked in 1977, when the third People's Choice Awards attracted 35.3 million viewers who witnessed Farrah Fawcett win the award for Favorite Female TV Star, "Star Wars" (the original 1977 Movie) win as the Favorite Picture, and Streisand and Wayne win again in the Film Actress and Actor categories.
Click here for more about the People's Choice Awards.
Stars appearing in TV and Movie Westerns
YouTube Video: The Best of Clint Eastwood Westerns
Pictured: John Wayne in "The Comancheros" & the cast of TV's Gunsmoke
The Western is a genre of various arts, such as comics, fiction, film, games, radio, and television which tell stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in the American Old West, often centering on the life of a nomadic cowboy or gunfighter. Westerns often stress the harshness of the wilderness and frequently set the action in an arid, desolate landscape of deserts and mountains.
Specific settings include ranches, small frontier towns and saloons of the Wild West. Characters also include Native Americans, bandits, lawmen, outlaws and soldiers. Some are set in the American colonial era.
The Western film was particularly popular in the 1930s and the 1950s and 1960s. There are also a number of films about Western-type characters in contemporary settings, such as Junior Bonner (1972) set in the 1970s and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) in the 21st century. The Western was the most popular Hollywood genre from the early 20th century to the 1960s
Stars appearing in TV and Movie Westerns
Specific settings include ranches, small frontier towns and saloons of the Wild West. Characters also include Native Americans, bandits, lawmen, outlaws and soldiers. Some are set in the American colonial era.
The Western film was particularly popular in the 1930s and the 1950s and 1960s. There are also a number of films about Western-type characters in contemporary settings, such as Junior Bonner (1972) set in the 1970s and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) in the 21st century. The Western was the most popular Hollywood genre from the early 20th century to the 1960s
Stars appearing in TV and Movie Westerns
Stars Appearing in Two of the Highest-rated Science Fiction TV Series
YouTube Video of Top 10 Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes
Pictured: Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock in the "Star Trek" Television Series and Burgess Meredith in the TV Twilight Zone Episode "Time at Last".
Science Fiction TV Series are listed in Order of Popularity.
Click here for more about Stars Appearing in Two of the Highest-rated Science Fiction TV Series.
Click here for more about Stars Appearing in Two of the Highest-rated Science Fiction TV Series.
Actor's Studio
YouTube video of Marlon Brando Appearing on Actor's Studio
Pictured: Actors who appeared on the Actors Studio TV show include Martin Balsalm and Marlon Brando
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5 1947 by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis, and Anna Sokolow who provided training for actors who were members.
Lee Strasberg joined later and took the helm in 1951 until his death on February 17 1982. It is currently run by Al Pacino, Ellen Burstyn, and Harvey Keitel. The Studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method acting.
The approach was originally developed by the Group Theatre in the 1930s based on the innovations of Constantin Stanislavski. While at the Studio actors work together to develop their skills in a private environment where they can take risks as performers without the pressure of commercial roles.
Click here for more about Actor's Studio.
Lee Strasberg joined later and took the helm in 1951 until his death on February 17 1982. It is currently run by Al Pacino, Ellen Burstyn, and Harvey Keitel. The Studio is best known for its work refining and teaching method acting.
The approach was originally developed by the Group Theatre in the 1930s based on the innovations of Constantin Stanislavski. While at the Studio actors work together to develop their skills in a private environment where they can take risks as performers without the pressure of commercial roles.
Click here for more about Actor's Studio.
Drama school
YouTube Video of Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting for which he won an Oscar
Pictured: Christine Baranski & Robin Williams, both graduates of Julliard.
A drama school or theater school is an undergraduate and/or graduate school or department at a college or university; or a free-standing institution (such as the Drama section at the Juilliard School); which specializes in the pre-professional training in drama and theatre arts, such as acting, design and technical theatre, arts administration, and related subjects.
If the drama school is part of a degree-granting institution, undergraduates typically take a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or, occasionally, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Design. Graduate students may take a Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Fine Arts, Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Fine Arts, or Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Click here for more about Drama School.
If the drama school is part of a degree-granting institution, undergraduates typically take a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, or, occasionally, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Design. Graduate students may take a Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Fine Arts, Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Fine Arts, or Doctor of Philosophy degree.
Click here for more about Drama School.
Method Acting
YouTube Video of Christopher Plummer commenting on Method Acting
Pictured: Daniel Day-Lewis & Robert De Niro
Method acting refers to a range of training and rehearsal techniques that seek to encourage sincere and emotionally expressive performances, as formulated by a number of different practitioners, principally in the United States, where it is among the most popular—and controversial—approaches to acting.
These techniques built on the 'system' of the Russian actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski.
Though many have contributed to the development of the Method, three teachers are associated with "having set the standard of its success," though each emphasized different aspects of the approach:
The approach was first developed when they worked together at the Group Theatre in New York.
All three subsequently claimed to be the rightful heirs of Stanislavski's approach. His three major books were An Actor Prepares, Building a Character, and Creating a Role.
Click here for more about Method Acting.
These techniques built on the 'system' of the Russian actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski.
Though many have contributed to the development of the Method, three teachers are associated with "having set the standard of its success," though each emphasized different aspects of the approach:
- Lee Strasberg (the psychological aspects),
- Stella Adler (the sociological aspects),
- and Sanford Meisner (the behavioral aspects).
The approach was first developed when they worked together at the Group Theatre in New York.
All three subsequently claimed to be the rightful heirs of Stanislavski's approach. His three major books were An Actor Prepares, Building a Character, and Creating a Role.
Click here for more about Method Acting.
Sports Stars Who Become Actors
YouTube Video of Hunter Fun Video - Season One - The Pilot - Starring Fred Dryer and Stepfanie Kramer
Pictured: Football Star James Brown and Wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
These and other sport stars went on to launch acting careers: click on right arrow in slideshow for each athlete-turned-actor.
Click here for more about Sports Stars Who Became Actors.
Click here for more about Sports Stars Who Became Actors.
The Best TV Actors and Actresses of All Time (According to Ranker.com)
YouTube Video of Ten Most Bad Ass Tony Soprano Moments, part 1
Pictured: James Gandolfini and Jennifer Aniston
The greatest TV actors and actresses of all time. Some of these actors have been in movies, some of them are even more well known at this point for their work in films rather than on TV but all of these actors have really shown off some impressive chops on the small screen.
From Bryan Cranston to Hugh Laurie and beyond, these are the best TV actors ever. From Emmy winners to simply fan favorites.
Click here for more about the Greatest TV Actors and Actresses of all Time.
From Bryan Cranston to Hugh Laurie and beyond, these are the best TV actors ever. From Emmy winners to simply fan favorites.
Click here for more about the Greatest TV Actors and Actresses of all Time.
Actors Turned Directors
YouTube Video of Top 10 Actors Turned Directors by WatchMojo
Pictured: Barbra Streisand and Ron Howard
From Biography.com: After years of on-screen success, many talented actors decide to take their chances on the other side of the camera—often to even greater acclaim.
Click here to see Biography.com's collection of performers who have made a new name for themselves as film and television directors.
Click here for more about Actors who have turned Directors.
Click here to see Biography.com's collection of performers who have made a new name for themselves as film and television directors.
Click here for more about Actors who have turned Directors.
The Best Multiple Franchise actor/actress in history (as reported by IMDb)
YouTube Video of Harrison Ford Discussing his "Indiana Jones" Franchise
Pictured: Harrison Ford (Photo by Theo Wargo) and Jennifer Lawrence (Photo by Pamela Littky).
These celebrities have acted/notable role in more than one successful movie franchise, and include Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Swarzenneger, Harrison Ford, and Angelina Jolie.
Click here for The Best Multiple Franchise actor/actress in history.
Click here for The Best Multiple Franchise actor/actress in history.
Heroes & Villains
YouTube from "Silence of the Lambs"* (1991) as "Buffalo Bill Dance Goodbye Horses"
*- Silence of the Lambs Movie (1991)
Pictured: The great white shark about to devour "Quint" (Robert Shaw) in "Jaws" (1975). Sean Connery and his prized Aston Martin in "Goldfinger" (1964) from the James Bond movie franchise.
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains is a list of the one-hundred greatest screen characters (fifty each in the hero and villain categories) as chosen by the American Film Institute in June 2003. It is part of the AFI 100 Years… series.
Click here for more about Heroes and Villains.
Click here for more about Heroes and Villains.
List of Most Sought-after Character Actors/Actresses
YouTube Video: J. K. Simmons* (IMDb top choice) in "The Closer" TV Series**
* - J.K. Simmons
** -- "The Closer" TV series.
Pictured: LEFT: Steve Buscemi (Fargo); RIGHT: Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope)
Click on the top link for a listing of the 100 most sought-after character actors and actresses, based on the IMDb online database.
Actors and Actresses including a List
YouTube Video Top 10 Sandra Bullock Movies by WatchMojo
Pictured Clockwise from Upper Left: Johnny Depp; Reese Witherspoon; Halle Berry; Morgan Freeman
Click here for a List of Actors/Actresses.
An actor (male) or actress (female) is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theater, or in modern mediums such as film, radio, and television.
The actor's interpretation of their role pertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is "playing themselves", as in some forms of experimental performance art, or, more commonly; to act, is to create, a character in performance.
Formerly, in some societies, only men could become actors, and women's roles were generally played by men or boys. When used for the stage, women occasionally played the roles of prepubescent boys.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Actor/Actress:
An actor (male) or actress (female) is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theater, or in modern mediums such as film, radio, and television.
The actor's interpretation of their role pertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is "playing themselves", as in some forms of experimental performance art, or, more commonly; to act, is to create, a character in performance.
Formerly, in some societies, only men could become actors, and women's roles were generally played by men or boys. When used for the stage, women occasionally played the roles of prepubescent boys.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for more about Actor/Actress:
- Terminology
- History
- Techniques
- As opposite sex
- Types
- Actor game
- See also:
- Presentational and representational acting
- Vaudeville
- music hall
- farce
- pantomime
- Kabuki
- Commedia dell'arte
- Droll
- Bit part
- Body double
- Cameo appearance
- Cast member
- Character actor
- Child actor
- Dramatis personæ
- Extra (acting)
- GOTE
- Leading actor
- Matinee idol
- Meisner technique
- Mime artist
- Movie star
- Pornographic film actor
- Practical Aesthetics
- Supporting actor
- Understudy
- Voice acting
- Screen Actors Guild (SAG): a union representing U. S. film and TV actors.
- Actors' Equity Association (AEA): a union representing U. S. theatre actors and stage managers.
- American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA): a union representing U. S. television and radio actors and broadcasters (on-air journalists, etc.).
- British Actors' Equity: a trade union representing UK artists, including actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, stage managers, theatre directors and designers, variety and circus artists, television and radio presenters, walk-on and supporting artists, stunt performers and directors and theatre fight directors.
- Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance: an Australian/New Zealand trade union representing everyone in the media, entertainment, sports, and arts industries.
People Who Have Won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award (EGOT) and featuring Rita Moreno
YouTube Video of the best acting performance by Rita Moreno in West Side Story
Picutured: L-R: Awards won by Rita Moreno; Rita Moreno accepting the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story (1961)
About Rita Moreno, one of only 12 people to win all four awards:
List of people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards:
Twelve people and five media franchises have won all four major annual American entertainment awards in a competitive, individual (non-group) category: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Respectively, these awards honor outstanding achievements in television, audio recording, film, and theater. Winning all four awards has been referred to as winning the "grand slam" of American show business. The acronym EGOT was coined by actor Philip Michael Thomas.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for further amplification:
- Oscar (for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story 1961),
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Drama Series in The Rockford Files in 1977,
- Tony for The Ritz, for which she won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress
- Grammy Award for Best Album for Children (The Electric Company Album), 1972
List of people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Awards:
Twelve people and five media franchises have won all four major annual American entertainment awards in a competitive, individual (non-group) category: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Respectively, these awards honor outstanding achievements in television, audio recording, film, and theater. Winning all four awards has been referred to as winning the "grand slam" of American show business. The acronym EGOT was coined by actor Philip Michael Thomas.
Click on any of the following blue hyperlinks for further amplification:
- Winners of all four awards
- Including non-competitive or special as well as Additional major awards or honors
- Qualifying awards summary (competitive only)
- Qualifying awards summary (including non-competitive awards)
- Three competitive awards
- Three awards (non-competitive)
- Four nominations
- PEGOT
- Franchises
- See also:
Show Business, including a List of Show Business Families
YouTube Video: Jane Fonda On Her Character's Most Important Scene In the Movie "On Golden Pond"
YouTube Video: On Golden Pond (9/10) Movie CLIP - Mad for So Long (1981)
Pictured Below:
Show Business families include (clockwise from Top Left):
Actors and brothers Billy, Stephen, Alec and Daniel Baldwin;
Actors Henry Fonda (1905-1982), Jane Fonda (1937), Peter Fonda (1940), and Bridget Fonda (1964);
Redgrave family (Michael and Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha and Joely Richardson)
Barrymore Dynasty Lionel Barrymore (1878-1954), John Barrymore (1882-1942), and Drew Barrymore (1975).
Click here for a list of Show Business Families
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since c. 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.
From the business side (including managers, agents, producers, and distributors), the term applies to the creative element (including artists, performers, writers, musicians, and technicians) and was in common usage throughout the 20th century, although the first known use in print dates from 1850.
At that time and for several decades, it typically included an initial the. By the latter part of the century, it had acquired a slightly arcane quality associated with the era of variety, but the term is still in active use. In modern entertainment industry, it is also associated with the fashion industry (creating trend and fashion) and acquiring intellectual property rights from the invested research in the entertainment business.
The entertainment sector can be split up into the following sub-sectors:
See also:
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since c. 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.
From the business side (including managers, agents, producers, and distributors), the term applies to the creative element (including artists, performers, writers, musicians, and technicians) and was in common usage throughout the 20th century, although the first known use in print dates from 1850.
At that time and for several decades, it typically included an initial the. By the latter part of the century, it had acquired a slightly arcane quality associated with the era of variety, but the term is still in active use. In modern entertainment industry, it is also associated with the fashion industry (creating trend and fashion) and acquiring intellectual property rights from the invested research in the entertainment business.
The entertainment sector can be split up into the following sub-sectors:
- Amusement parks
- Animation
- Circus
- Event management
- Film
- Gambling
- Game manufacturers
- Home video and home video distributors
- Music
- Sex business
- Talent agency
- Theater production
See also:
- Creative industries
- Cultural industry
- Cultural technology
- Light entertainment
- Outline of entertainment
- This Is Show Business, television series running from 1949 to 1956
- Show Business magazine, since 1941
- "There's No Business Like Show Business"
Barrymore Family Acting Dynasty, featuring Drew Barrymore Pictured below: Barrymore Family Tree over generations
Barrymore family
The Barrymore family, and the related Drew family, form a British–American acting dynasty that traces its acting roots to the mid-19th-century London stage. After migrating across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, members of the family subsequently appeared in motion pictures, beginning with the silent film period of the 1890s to 1929 and then into the modern era of sound film.
The surname Barrymore originated with an actor named William Barrymore (c. 1759–1830). The related Drew family traces back to the Irish actor John Drew Sr. (1827–1862).
List of notable members
The following pursued acting:
Except for Lionel Barrymore, John Drew Barrymore, Ethel, Diana, Drew, and John Blyth, none of the other members of John Barrymore's family have yet entered the entertainment industry. Most of the spouses, however, were related to the artistic world, mainly actresses and actors.
Drew family:
The family of Georgiana Emma Drew, mother of Lionel, Ethel, and John, also includes a large number of actors.
Drew Barrymore's current career (as of 4--22-2025):
Pictured below: Actress Drew Barrymore in Australia in March, 2019.
The Barrymore family, and the related Drew family, form a British–American acting dynasty that traces its acting roots to the mid-19th-century London stage. After migrating across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, members of the family subsequently appeared in motion pictures, beginning with the silent film period of the 1890s to 1929 and then into the modern era of sound film.
The surname Barrymore originated with an actor named William Barrymore (c. 1759–1830). The related Drew family traces back to the Irish actor John Drew Sr. (1827–1862).
List of notable members
- William Edward Blythe (1818–1873), married Matilda Chamberlayne (1822–1849); they had seven children
- Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe (aka Maurice Barrymore (1849–1905)) married Georgiana Emma Drew, and had three children: Lionel, Ethel, and John.
The following pursued acting:
- Lionel Barrymore (1878–1954)
- ∞ Married to Irene Fenwick (second wife, until her death)
- ∞ Married Doris Rankin (first wife), and had two daughters. Marriage ended in divorce.
- Mary Barrymore (died in infancy, 2 years old)
- Ethel Barrymore II (died in infancy).
- Ethel Barrymore (1879–1959)
- ∞ Married Russell Griswold Colt, and had three children. Ethel's children also acted, primarily on the stage.
- Samuel Peabody Colt
- John Drew Colt
- Ethel Barrymore Colt.
- ∞ Married John Romeo Miglietta, and had John Drew Miglietta (born 1946)
- ∞ Married Russell Griswold Colt, and had three children. Ethel's children also acted, primarily on the stage.
- John Barrymore (1882–1942)
- ∞ Married to Katherine Corri Harris (first wife, divorced)
- ∞ Married Blanche Oelrichs (second wife, divorced), and had:
- Diana Blanche Barrymore
- ∞ Married Bramwell Fletcher
- ∞ Married John R. Howard
- ∞ Married Robert Wilcox
- Diana Blanche Barrymore
- ∞ Married Dolores Costello (third wife, divorced), and had:
- John Drew Barrymore (Jr.) (1932–2004)
- ∞ Married Cara Williams (first wife, divorced)
- ∞ Married Gabriella Palazzoli (second wife, divorced)
- ∞ Married Nina Wayne (third wife, divorced)
- Jessica Barrymore (died 2014, accidental overdose)
- ∞ Married Ildiko Jaid (fourth wife, divorced)
- Drew Barrymore (born 1975)
- ∞ Married Jeremy Thomas (first husband, divorced)
- ∞ Married Tom Green (second husband, divorced)
- ∞ Married Will Kopelman (third husband, divorced)
- Drew Barrymore (born 1975)
- John Drew Barrymore (Jr.) (1932–2004)
- ∞ Married to Elaine Barrie née Jacobs. (fourth wife of John Barrymore Sr., divorced)
Except for Lionel Barrymore, John Drew Barrymore, Ethel, Diana, Drew, and John Blyth, none of the other members of John Barrymore's family have yet entered the entertainment industry. Most of the spouses, however, were related to the artistic world, mainly actresses and actors.
Drew family:
The family of Georgiana Emma Drew, mother of Lionel, Ethel, and John, also includes a large number of actors.
- John Drew, actor, married actress Louisa Lane Drew
- Georgiana Emma Drew, ∞ wife of Maurice Barrymore and mother of Lionel, Ethel, and John.
- John Drew Jr., 'Uncle Jack' by the Barrymore siblings, married actress Josephine Baker 'Aunt Dodo', daughter of his mother's best friend.
- Louise Drew, 'Cousin Bee', ∞ married performer Jack Devereaux; their son John Drew Devereaux (1918–1995) was a Broadway stage manager
- Sidney Drew (paternity debatable), known for the Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Drew comedy act. Married to first wife Gladys Rankin 1890–1914 her death. Wife two was Lucille McVey 1914 to his death in 1919.
- Sidney Rankin Drew, son of Sidney Drew and Gladys Rankin, left his acting career to join the Lafayette Escadrille, and was killed in action
- Louisa Drew (1851–1889), eldest child of Louisa Lane Drew and John Drew Sr., called 'Aunt Wisa' by the Barrymores, moved to Boston, married manager Charles Mendum (1849–1917), had two or ?three children, one of which was Georgie Mendum
- Georgie Drew Mendum (1875–1957), actress, named after her aunt Georgie Drew Barrymore, married and divorced from a comedian named George Parsons, (married 1903, divorced 1912). Sometimes stayed at the Mamaroneck home of her cousin Ethel Barrymore.
- Frank Drew (1831–1903), actor, brother of John Drew Sr.
Drew Barrymore's current career (as of 4--22-2025):
Pictured below: Actress Drew Barrymore in Australia in March, 2019.
Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, talk show host, and businesswoman. A member of the Barrymore family of actors (see above), she has received several awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for nine Emmy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.
She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2023.
Barrymore achieved fame as a child actress with her breakout role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), followed by starring roles in:
On television, she played Edith Bouvier Beale in the HBO film Grey Gardens (2009) earning a Golden Globe Award as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
She starred in the Netflix comedy horror series Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2019) and has hosted the talk show The Drew Barrymore Show since 2020.
In September 2023, she announced she would return to the show without writers during the then-ongoing WGA strike, but after backlash, reversed the decision the same month.
Barrymore is the founder of the production company Flower Films and has starred in several of its projects. She launched a range of cosmetics under the Flower banner in 2013.
Her other business ventures include a range of wines, homeware and clothing.
She has released four books including her memoir Little Girl Lost (1990) and her photobook Find It in Everything (2014), both of which were New York Times bestsellers.
Early life:
Ancestry:
See also: Barrymore family
Drew Blythe Barrymore was born on February 22, 1975, in Culver City, California, to actor John Drew Barrymore and aspiring actress Jaid Barrymore (born Ildikó Jaid Makó), who was born in a displaced persons camp in Brannenburg, West Germany, to Hungarian World War II refugees.
Through her father, Barrymore has three older half-siblings, including actor John Blyth Barrymore. Her parents divorced in 1984.
In 2023, Barrymore displayed an AncestryDNA test onscreen on her talk show, which assessed her genetic ancestry as primarily European, with 6% Northern Indian.
Barrymore was born into an acting family:
Barrymore is:
Barrymore's godmothers are actress Sophia Loren and Lee Strasberg's widow, Anna Strasberg; Barrymore described her relationship with the latter as one that "would become so important to me as a kid because she was so kind and nurturing."
Her godfather is filmmaker Steven Spielberg.
Barrymore's first name, Drew, was the maiden name of her paternal great-grandmother Georgie Drew, and her middle name, Blythe, was derived from the birth surname (Blyth) of her great-grandfather who later took the stage name of Maurice Barrymore.
In her 1991 autobiography Little Girl Lost, Barrymore recounted early memories of her abusive father, who left the family when she was six months old. She and her father never had a significant relationship and seldom spoke.
Childhood
Barrymore grew up on Poinsettia Place in West Hollywood, until she moved to Sherman Oaks at the age of seven. In her 2015 memoir Wildflower, she says she spoke "like a valley girl" because she grew up in Sherman Oaks.
She moved back to West Hollywood on becoming emancipated at age 14. She attended elementary school at Fountain Day School in West Hollywood and Country School.
In the wake of her sudden stardom, Barrymore endured a notoriously troubled childhood. She was a regular at Studio 54 as a young girl, and her nightlife and constant partying became a popular subject with the media.
She was placed in rehab at 13, and spent eighteen months in an institution for the mentally ill. A suicide attempt at 14 put her back in rehab, followed by a three-month stay with singer David Crosby and his wife. The stay was precipitated, Crosby said, because she "needed to be around some people that were committed to sobriety."
Barrymore described this period of her life for Little Girl Lost. After a successful juvenile court petition for emancipation, she moved into her own apartment at the age of 15.
Career:
Main article: Drew Barrymore filmography
1980–1989: Early roles as a childhood actress
Pictured below: Barrymore and Ronald Reagan in 1984
She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2023.
Barrymore achieved fame as a child actress with her breakout role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), followed by starring roles in:
- Firestarter (1984),
- Poison Ivy (1992),
- Boys on the Side (1995),
- Scream (1996),
- Ever After (1998),
- Never Been Kissed (1999),
- Charlie's Angels (2000),
- and its 2003 sequel.
- She starred with Adam Sandler in:
- The Wedding Singer (1998),
- 50 First Dates (2004),
- and Blended (2014).
- She also acted in:
- Batman Forever (1995),
- Donnie Darko (2001),
- Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002),
- Music and Lyrics (2007),
- He's Just Not That Into You (2009),
- and Going the Distance (2010).
- She also starred in her directorial debut film Whip It (2009).
On television, she played Edith Bouvier Beale in the HBO film Grey Gardens (2009) earning a Golden Globe Award as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.
She starred in the Netflix comedy horror series Santa Clarita Diet (2017–2019) and has hosted the talk show The Drew Barrymore Show since 2020.
In September 2023, she announced she would return to the show without writers during the then-ongoing WGA strike, but after backlash, reversed the decision the same month.
Barrymore is the founder of the production company Flower Films and has starred in several of its projects. She launched a range of cosmetics under the Flower banner in 2013.
Her other business ventures include a range of wines, homeware and clothing.
She has released four books including her memoir Little Girl Lost (1990) and her photobook Find It in Everything (2014), both of which were New York Times bestsellers.
Early life:
Ancestry:
See also: Barrymore family
Drew Blythe Barrymore was born on February 22, 1975, in Culver City, California, to actor John Drew Barrymore and aspiring actress Jaid Barrymore (born Ildikó Jaid Makó), who was born in a displaced persons camp in Brannenburg, West Germany, to Hungarian World War II refugees.
Through her father, Barrymore has three older half-siblings, including actor John Blyth Barrymore. Her parents divorced in 1984.
In 2023, Barrymore displayed an AncestryDNA test onscreen on her talk show, which assessed her genetic ancestry as primarily European, with 6% Northern Indian.
Barrymore was born into an acting family:
- All of her paternal great-grandparents,
- Maurice and Georgie Drew Barrymore
- Maurice and Mae Costello (née Altschuk),
- and her paternal grandparents were actors:
- with John being arguably the most acclaimed actor of his generation.
Barrymore is:
- a niece of Diana Barrymore,
- a grandniece of:
- and a great-great-granddaughter of Irish-born John and English-born Louisa Lane Drew, all of whom were also actors.
- She is a great-grandniece of:
- Broadway idol John Drew Jr.
- silent film actor, writer and director Sidney Drew.
Barrymore's godmothers are actress Sophia Loren and Lee Strasberg's widow, Anna Strasberg; Barrymore described her relationship with the latter as one that "would become so important to me as a kid because she was so kind and nurturing."
Her godfather is filmmaker Steven Spielberg.
Barrymore's first name, Drew, was the maiden name of her paternal great-grandmother Georgie Drew, and her middle name, Blythe, was derived from the birth surname (Blyth) of her great-grandfather who later took the stage name of Maurice Barrymore.
In her 1991 autobiography Little Girl Lost, Barrymore recounted early memories of her abusive father, who left the family when she was six months old. She and her father never had a significant relationship and seldom spoke.
Childhood
Barrymore grew up on Poinsettia Place in West Hollywood, until she moved to Sherman Oaks at the age of seven. In her 2015 memoir Wildflower, she says she spoke "like a valley girl" because she grew up in Sherman Oaks.
She moved back to West Hollywood on becoming emancipated at age 14. She attended elementary school at Fountain Day School in West Hollywood and Country School.
In the wake of her sudden stardom, Barrymore endured a notoriously troubled childhood. She was a regular at Studio 54 as a young girl, and her nightlife and constant partying became a popular subject with the media.
She was placed in rehab at 13, and spent eighteen months in an institution for the mentally ill. A suicide attempt at 14 put her back in rehab, followed by a three-month stay with singer David Crosby and his wife. The stay was precipitated, Crosby said, because she "needed to be around some people that were committed to sobriety."
Barrymore described this period of her life for Little Girl Lost. After a successful juvenile court petition for emancipation, she moved into her own apartment at the age of 15.
Career:
Main article: Drew Barrymore filmography
1980–1989: Early roles as a childhood actress
Pictured below: Barrymore and Ronald Reagan in 1984
Barrymore appeared in a dog food commercial when she was eleven months old. After her film debut with a small role in Altered States, she played Gertie in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Director Steven Spielberg felt she had the right imagination for the role after she impressed him with a story that she led a punk rock band. E.T. was the highest-grossing film of the 1980s and made Barrymore one of the most famous child actors of the time.
She won the Young Artist Award for Best Young Supporting Actress and was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the British Academy Film Awards.
In the eighth season of Saturday Night Live, she became the youngest person to guest-host the series at 7 years old.
Barrymore said that "nobody treated me like a kid there" and she didn't feel different than any other cast member despite her age.
In the 1984 film adaptation of Stephen King's 1980 novel Firestarter, Barrymore played a girl with pyrokinesis, and the target of a secret government agency known as The Shop.
That year, she also played a young girl divorcing her famous parents in Irreconcilable Differences and was nominated for her first Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. In his review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert wrote: "Barrymore is the right actress for this role precisely because she approaches it with such grave calm."
Barrymore endured a troubled youth and continued acting during the decade. She starred in the anthology horror film Cat's Eye, also written by King. It received positive reviews and Barrymore was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress.
For Dangerous Liaisons, Barrymore declined the role of Cecile, which went to Uma Thurman. Barrymore starred in the romance film See You in the Morning. Vincent Canby of The New York Times criticized the "fashionable phoniness" of the film, but positively singled out Barrymore.
In Far from Home, she played a teenager who gets stranded with her father in a small, remote desert town. The film went largely unnoticed by audiences and received negative reviews from critics, who dismissed the sexual portrayal of her role.
1990–1999: Leading roles and stardom:
Barrymore's rebelliousness played itself out on screen and in print. She played a poor teenage girl in Poison Ivy, which was a box-office bomb, but was popular on video and cable. Her character "Ivy" was ranked at #6 on the list of the top 26 "bad girls" of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Barrymore was 17 when she posed nude with her then-fiancé, actor Jamie Walters, for the cover of the July issue of Interview magazine; she also appeared nude in pictures inside the issue.
In Guncrazy, Barrymore played a teenager who kills her abusive stepfather. Variety remarked that she "pulls off impressively" her character, and Barrymore was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film.
She played the younger sister of a murdered ballerina in No Place to Hide and a writer followed by what is apparently her evil twin in Doppelganger. Both films were panned by critics and failed to find an audience.
She appeared in the western film Bad Girls, which follows four former prostitutes on the run following a justifiable homicide and prison escape. Roger Ebert, in his review for the film, wrote for Chicago Sun-Times: "What a good idea, to make a Western about four tough women. And what a sad movie."
Barrymore posed nude for the January 1995 issue of Playboy.
Soon after, her godfather Steven Spielberg gave her a quilt for her 20th birthday with a note that read, "Cover yourself up." Enclosed in the quilt were copies of her Playboy pictures which had been altered by Spielberg's art department so that she appeared fully clothed. Barrymore later said that she would not let her own child make the same choice she did.
While appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman, Barrymore climbed onto the desk, flashed her breasts to David Letterman and gave him a kiss on the cheek as a birthday gift.
She modeled in a series of Guess? jeans ads during this time.
In the late 1990s, Barrymore re-established her image and continued to be a highly bankable star.
In Boys on the Side, Barrymore played a pregnant girl attempting to escape from her abusive boyfriend. It was a box office success and was positively received by critics. In the superhero film Batman Forever, she played one of the two female assistants for Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones).
Barrymore had a small role in Wes Craven's slasher film Scream (1996). She read the film's script and was interested in being involved, approaching the production team herself to request a role.
The producers were quick to take advantage of her unexpected interest and signed her to play the lead role of Sidney Prescott. However, after unexpected commitments, Barrymore played Casey Becker in a minor role and Neve Campbell took the leading one.
Scream was released to critical acclaim and made $173 million worldwide. She was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In The Wedding Singer (1998), Barrymore played a waitress in love with the titular character, played by Adam Sandler. Variety found the film to be a "spirited, funny and warm saga" that serves them up "in a new way that enhances their most winning qualities". Budgeted at $18 million, the film grossed $123.3 million internationally.
In Home Fries (1998), Barrymore played a pregnant woman unknowingly falling for the stepson of the late father of her baby.
She starred in the historical drama film Ever After (1998), which made $98 million and was inspired by the fairy tale Cinderella. Roger Ebert said about Barrymore and the film: "she can hold the screen and involve us in her characters".
Barrymore voiced the titular anthropomorphic Jack Russell terrier in the Christmas television film Olive, the Other Reindeer and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
After establishing Flower Films, Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen produced the company's first film, Never Been Kissed, in which Barrymore played an insecure copy editor for the Chicago Sun-Times and a high school student.
While reviews from critics were mixed, CNN noted: "There are two words which describe why this film works: Drew Barrymore. Her comedic timing and willingness to go all out in her quest for a laugh combine to make Never Been Kissed a gratifying movie-going experience". The film was a commercial success, grossing $84.5 million.
2000–2008: Established actress:
In Charlie's Angels, Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu played the trio of investigators in Los Angeles. The film was a major box office success and helped solidify Barrymore's standing in her production company as one of the film's producers.
Barrymore starred in Riding in Cars with Boys, as a teenage mother in a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father (based on Beverly Donofrio's real-life story). When the production of Donnie Darko was threatened, Barrymore stepped forward with financing from the company and played the title character's English teacher.
Although the film was less than successful at the box office in the wake of 9/11, it reached cult status after the DVD release, inspiring numerous websites devoted to unraveling the plot twists and meanings.
Barrymore starred in George Clooney's directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, based on the autobiography of television producer Chuck Barris. Barrymore reprised her role in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and starred with Ben Stiller in Duplex.
Flower Films and Happy Madison Productions produced the film 50 First Dates, in which Barrymore played an amnesiac woman and Sandler played a marine veterinarian. Summing up Barrymore's appeal, Roger Ebert, in his review for the film, remarked that Barrymore displayed a "smiling, coy sincerity", in what he described as an "ingratiating and lovable" film. 50 First Dates was a commercial success; it made US$120.9 million in North America and US$196.4 million worldwide.
In the 2005 American remake adaptation of the 1997 British film Fever Pitch, Barrymore played the love interest of an immature schoolteacher (Jimmy Fallon). The film grossed a modest US$50 million worldwide and had generally favorable reviews by critics who felt it "has enough charm and on-screen chemistry between [Fallon and Barrymore] to make it a solid hit".
Barrymore starred in the 2006 animated film Curious George, based on the book series of the same name.
She and Hugh Grant starred in Music and Lyrics, which focuses on the relationship that evolves between a former pop music idol and an aspiring writer as they struggle to compose a song for a reigning pop diva. The romantic comedy, released in February 2007, received largely positive reviews, with The Washington Post finding the two to be "great together" in it. The film was a commercial success, grossing US$145 million globally.
In Curtis Hanson's poker film Lucky You, Barrymore played an aspiring singer and the subject of the affections of a talented player.
In Raja Gosnell's film Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Barrymore voiced the titular character, a richly pampered pet who gets dognapped in Mexico and has to escape from an evil Doberman.
2009–2019: Directorial debut and television roles:
Barrymore starred in the ensemble romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You, which received mixed reviews, partly due to her limited time on screen, while it grossed US$178 million worldwide.
She played Edith Bouvier Beale, the daughter of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (Jessica Lange) in the HBO film Grey Gardens, which is based on the 1975 documentary film.
The television film was a huge success, winning five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Rolling Stone writer Peter Travers found Barrymore to be a "revelation" in her role. Barrymore was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries.
Barrymore starred in her directorial debut film Whip It. It follows a high-schooler (Elliot Page) ditching the teen beauty pageant scene and participating in an Austin roller derby league. Barrymore worked with screenwriter Shauna Cross for months on script revisions, with Barrymore pushing her to "avoid her story's tidier prospects, to make things 'more raw and open ended.'"
While the film found limited box office receipts, it was favorably received; according to review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, critics agreed that her "directorial debut has enough charm, energy, and good-natured humor to transcend its many cliches".
For her venture, Barrymore garnered nominations for a Bronze Horse at the Stockholm Film Festival and for the EDA Female Focus Award at the 2009 Alliance of Women Film Journalists.
In Everybody's Fine, Barrymore played the daughter of a recently widowed retiree (Robert De Niro). The drama flopped at the box office, but Stephen Holden for The New York Times considered Barrymore "as ingenuous as ever" in what he described as a "small role."
Barrymore starred with Justin Long in Nanette Burstein's film Going the Distance. It follows a couple dealing the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship, while commuting between New York City and San Francisco.
It garnered generally mixed reviews by critics, who summed it as "timelier and a little more honest than most romantic comedies", and budgeted at US$32 million, the film made US$40 million at the worldwide box office.
On August 2, 2011, Barrymore directed the music video for the song "Our Deal," for the band Best Coast, which features:
Barrymore starred in the biopic film Big Miracle, which covers Operation Breakthrough, the 1988 international effort to rescue gray whales from being trapped in ice near Point Barrow, Alaska. Her character, Rachel Kramer, is based on Greenpeace activist Cindy Lowry. Despite a positive critical reception, the film flopped at the box office.
In Blended, Barrymore played a recently divorced woman ending up on a family resort with a widower (Sandler). Film critic James Berardinelli dismissed the "hit-and-miss humor" of the story and wrote that "as [Sandler and Barrymore] are concerned, the third time is definitely not the charm", as part of an overall lukewarm critical response. The film ultimately grossed US$128 million worldwide.
She and Toni Collette starred in Miss You Already (2015), as two long-time friends whose relationship is put to the test when one starts a family and the other becomes ill. Reviewers embraced the film, while it received a limited theatrical release.
In the Netflix original television series Santa Clarita Diet, Barrymore played a real estate agent who, after experiencing a physical transformation into a zombie, starts craving human flesh.
Along with co-star Timothy Olyphant, Barrymore served as an executive producer on the single-camera series, which was favorably received upon its premiere;
2020–present: The Drew Barrymore Show:
Barrymore starred in Jamie Babbit's film The Stand In. It was set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2020, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On September 14, 2020, Barrymore launched a syndicated daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, which is also available on Spotify in a podcast format.
On December 4, 2020, she appeared as a guest star on Martha Knows Best.
On March 11, 2021, Barrymore said she was taking an indefinite hiatus from acting. She wrote a cookbook with chef Pilar Valdes entitled Rebel Homemaker, which was a New York Times bestseller.
In June 2021, she launched Drew Magazine, a quarterly released lifestyle magazine by publisher Bauer Media USA.
Barrymore was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.
In September 2023, Barrymore announced she would continue her syndicated TV talk show despite the ongoing WGA strike, writing, "I own this choice", when explaining her reasoning via social media.
While SAG had stated that as the host of the show she was not under any obligation to strike, her show continued without unionized writing staff. Audience members showing support for the Writer's Guild were kicked out of the studio and had any WGA pins confiscated.
Due to these events, the National Book Foundation removed Barrymore from being the host of the then upcoming 74th National Book Awards.
Barrymore apologized for her actions later that week in a video on Instagram, claiming that, "I believe there's nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK."
Barrymore deleted the apology video from her account following criticism.
On the 17th, Barrymore announced on her Instagram account that she would be postponing production of her talk show until the strike ends due to the backlash, writing, "I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show's premiere until the strike is over".
She also added, "I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt, and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today".
A spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures said, "We support Drew's decision to pause the show's return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her."
Media image:
Barrymore became a CoverGirl Cosmetics' model and spokeswoman in 2007. In February 2015, she became one of the faces of CoverGirl, alongside Queen Latifah and Taylor Swift.
The company partnered with her because "she emulates the iconic image of CoverGirl with her fresh, natural beauty and energetic yet authentic spirit," said Esi Eggleston Bracey, vice president and general manager of CoverGirl Cosmetics North America.
She brought not only her personality into this endorsement but also her creative side, as she also helped create the ads. She was No. 1 on People's annual 100 Most Beautiful People list in 2007. She was named the new face for the Gucci jewelry line.
Barrymore signed a contract with IMG Models New York City. She is a spokeswoman for Crocs.
In May 2007, Barrymore was named Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme and later donated $1 million to the cause.
As a guest photographer for a magazine series called "They Shoot New York", she appeared on the cover holding a Pentax K1000 film camera. She expressed hopes of exposing her work in a gallery one day, as she had documented the most recent decade of her life with a Pentax camera.
Barrymore launched a women's fashion line in fall 2017 in conjunction with Amazon.com called Dear Drew, which featured a pop-up shop in New York City that opened in November. She became the Chief Gifting Officer for Etsy in January 2024.
Personal life:
Barrymore, then-16, was briefly engaged to 25-year-old Leland Hayward, III, the grandson of producer Leland Hayward, in 1991.
Barrymore, then-17, was in a relationship with 23-year-old Jamie Walters from 1992 to 1993. He proposed to her with a diamond ring in a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle and planned to marry in spring of 1993.
Walters and Barrymore have tattoos of the other's name; Walters has her name in a cross on his upper right shoulder blade and Barrymore has his name, along with her mother's name, in a banner flown by a cherub on her lower back.
In 2023, Barrymore spoke positively of Walters while interviewing Tori Spelling, who played Walters' love interest on Beverly Hills, 90210, on her talk show.
Barrymore, then-19, began dating 31-year-old Jeremy Thomas, a Los Angeles-based business owner from Wales, in early 1994. Thomas had been allowing Barrymore, who had been receiving treatment for alcoholism on and off for several years at that point, to drink at The Room, his bar on Cahuenga Boulevard, despite being underage.
On March 20, 1994, after six weeks of dating, the two impulsively married at around 5:30 am at The Room, paying a 24-hour minister to perform the ceremony. Barrymore wore a white slip dress and combat boots.
Barrymore and Thomas separated 19 days later and she filed for divorce less than two months later, alleging that Thomas had married her for her wealth and a green card.
Their divorce was finalized in 1995.
In an interview later that year, Barrymore told Rolling Stone that Thomas was "the Devil".
.
In late 1994, Barrymore began dating Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson.
Barrymore began dating MTV host and comedian Tom Green in 1999.They were engaged in July 2000 and married a year later Together, they starred in Charlie's Angels and Green's directorial film debut, Freddy Got Fingered.
Green filed for divorce in December 2001, which was finalized on October 15, 2002.
In 2002, Barrymore began dating the Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti shortly after they met at a concert. Their relationship ended in January 2007.
She began dating Justin Long, but they broke up in July 2008.
Barrymore began dating Will Kopelman, an art consultant and the son of Arie L. Kopelman, once the chief operating officer of the French fashion house Chanel in February 2011.
Kopelman proposed to Barrymore in Sun Valley, Idaho later that year, in December, while the two were on a Christmas vacation, and media outlets reported on their engagement in January 2012. They married on June 2, 2012, in a garden-themed Jewish ceremony at her home in Montecito, California and Barrymore wore a Chanel wedding gown. Barrymore gave birth to their first child three months later, and their second child in 2014.
During her marriage to Kopelman, Barrymore expressed an interest in converting to Judaism, his faith, calling it a "beautiful faith," but never did. Barrymore announced her separation from Kopelman on April 2, 2016. They filed for divorce on July 15, 2016 and it was finalized on August 3, 2016.
In 2020, Barrymore told People she would never get married again. Kopelman married Vogue director Alexandra "Allie" Michler in 2021 and Barrymore has spoken positively of her relationship with Michler, saying she is a wonderful stepmother. Barrymore moved to Manhattan in 2023 so that her children could be closer to Kopelman.
Barrymore practices meditation.
In an interview with Contactmusic.com in 2003, Barrymore said: "Do I like women sexually? Yeah, I do. Totally. I have always considered myself bisexual. I love a woman's body. I think a woman and a woman together are beautiful, just as a man and a woman together are beautiful. Being with a woman is like exploring your own body, but through someone else".
Barrymore is the godmother of Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.
Barrymore eats a plant-based diet, and reportedly convinced Cardi B to try veganism. Since 2023, she has resided in Manhattan.
Acting credits and accolades:
Main articles:
Pictured below: Barrymore's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Director Steven Spielberg felt she had the right imagination for the role after she impressed him with a story that she led a punk rock band. E.T. was the highest-grossing film of the 1980s and made Barrymore one of the most famous child actors of the time.
She won the Young Artist Award for Best Young Supporting Actress and was nominated for the Rising Star Award at the British Academy Film Awards.
In the eighth season of Saturday Night Live, she became the youngest person to guest-host the series at 7 years old.
Barrymore said that "nobody treated me like a kid there" and she didn't feel different than any other cast member despite her age.
In the 1984 film adaptation of Stephen King's 1980 novel Firestarter, Barrymore played a girl with pyrokinesis, and the target of a secret government agency known as The Shop.
That year, she also played a young girl divorcing her famous parents in Irreconcilable Differences and was nominated for her first Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. In his review in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert wrote: "Barrymore is the right actress for this role precisely because she approaches it with such grave calm."
Barrymore endured a troubled youth and continued acting during the decade. She starred in the anthology horror film Cat's Eye, also written by King. It received positive reviews and Barrymore was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actress.
For Dangerous Liaisons, Barrymore declined the role of Cecile, which went to Uma Thurman. Barrymore starred in the romance film See You in the Morning. Vincent Canby of The New York Times criticized the "fashionable phoniness" of the film, but positively singled out Barrymore.
In Far from Home, she played a teenager who gets stranded with her father in a small, remote desert town. The film went largely unnoticed by audiences and received negative reviews from critics, who dismissed the sexual portrayal of her role.
1990–1999: Leading roles and stardom:
Barrymore's rebelliousness played itself out on screen and in print. She played a poor teenage girl in Poison Ivy, which was a box-office bomb, but was popular on video and cable. Her character "Ivy" was ranked at #6 on the list of the top 26 "bad girls" of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Barrymore was 17 when she posed nude with her then-fiancé, actor Jamie Walters, for the cover of the July issue of Interview magazine; she also appeared nude in pictures inside the issue.
In Guncrazy, Barrymore played a teenager who kills her abusive stepfather. Variety remarked that she "pulls off impressively" her character, and Barrymore was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film.
She played the younger sister of a murdered ballerina in No Place to Hide and a writer followed by what is apparently her evil twin in Doppelganger. Both films were panned by critics and failed to find an audience.
She appeared in the western film Bad Girls, which follows four former prostitutes on the run following a justifiable homicide and prison escape. Roger Ebert, in his review for the film, wrote for Chicago Sun-Times: "What a good idea, to make a Western about four tough women. And what a sad movie."
Barrymore posed nude for the January 1995 issue of Playboy.
Soon after, her godfather Steven Spielberg gave her a quilt for her 20th birthday with a note that read, "Cover yourself up." Enclosed in the quilt were copies of her Playboy pictures which had been altered by Spielberg's art department so that she appeared fully clothed. Barrymore later said that she would not let her own child make the same choice she did.
While appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman, Barrymore climbed onto the desk, flashed her breasts to David Letterman and gave him a kiss on the cheek as a birthday gift.
She modeled in a series of Guess? jeans ads during this time.
In the late 1990s, Barrymore re-established her image and continued to be a highly bankable star.
In Boys on the Side, Barrymore played a pregnant girl attempting to escape from her abusive boyfriend. It was a box office success and was positively received by critics. In the superhero film Batman Forever, she played one of the two female assistants for Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones).
Barrymore had a small role in Wes Craven's slasher film Scream (1996). She read the film's script and was interested in being involved, approaching the production team herself to request a role.
The producers were quick to take advantage of her unexpected interest and signed her to play the lead role of Sidney Prescott. However, after unexpected commitments, Barrymore played Casey Becker in a minor role and Neve Campbell took the leading one.
Scream was released to critical acclaim and made $173 million worldwide. She was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In The Wedding Singer (1998), Barrymore played a waitress in love with the titular character, played by Adam Sandler. Variety found the film to be a "spirited, funny and warm saga" that serves them up "in a new way that enhances their most winning qualities". Budgeted at $18 million, the film grossed $123.3 million internationally.
In Home Fries (1998), Barrymore played a pregnant woman unknowingly falling for the stepson of the late father of her baby.
She starred in the historical drama film Ever After (1998), which made $98 million and was inspired by the fairy tale Cinderella. Roger Ebert said about Barrymore and the film: "she can hold the screen and involve us in her characters".
Barrymore voiced the titular anthropomorphic Jack Russell terrier in the Christmas television film Olive, the Other Reindeer and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
After establishing Flower Films, Barrymore and Nancy Juvonen produced the company's first film, Never Been Kissed, in which Barrymore played an insecure copy editor for the Chicago Sun-Times and a high school student.
While reviews from critics were mixed, CNN noted: "There are two words which describe why this film works: Drew Barrymore. Her comedic timing and willingness to go all out in her quest for a laugh combine to make Never Been Kissed a gratifying movie-going experience". The film was a commercial success, grossing $84.5 million.
2000–2008: Established actress:
In Charlie's Angels, Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu played the trio of investigators in Los Angeles. The film was a major box office success and helped solidify Barrymore's standing in her production company as one of the film's producers.
Barrymore starred in Riding in Cars with Boys, as a teenage mother in a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father (based on Beverly Donofrio's real-life story). When the production of Donnie Darko was threatened, Barrymore stepped forward with financing from the company and played the title character's English teacher.
Although the film was less than successful at the box office in the wake of 9/11, it reached cult status after the DVD release, inspiring numerous websites devoted to unraveling the plot twists and meanings.
Barrymore starred in George Clooney's directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, based on the autobiography of television producer Chuck Barris. Barrymore reprised her role in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and starred with Ben Stiller in Duplex.
Flower Films and Happy Madison Productions produced the film 50 First Dates, in which Barrymore played an amnesiac woman and Sandler played a marine veterinarian. Summing up Barrymore's appeal, Roger Ebert, in his review for the film, remarked that Barrymore displayed a "smiling, coy sincerity", in what he described as an "ingratiating and lovable" film. 50 First Dates was a commercial success; it made US$120.9 million in North America and US$196.4 million worldwide.
In the 2005 American remake adaptation of the 1997 British film Fever Pitch, Barrymore played the love interest of an immature schoolteacher (Jimmy Fallon). The film grossed a modest US$50 million worldwide and had generally favorable reviews by critics who felt it "has enough charm and on-screen chemistry between [Fallon and Barrymore] to make it a solid hit".
Barrymore starred in the 2006 animated film Curious George, based on the book series of the same name.
She and Hugh Grant starred in Music and Lyrics, which focuses on the relationship that evolves between a former pop music idol and an aspiring writer as they struggle to compose a song for a reigning pop diva. The romantic comedy, released in February 2007, received largely positive reviews, with The Washington Post finding the two to be "great together" in it. The film was a commercial success, grossing US$145 million globally.
In Curtis Hanson's poker film Lucky You, Barrymore played an aspiring singer and the subject of the affections of a talented player.
In Raja Gosnell's film Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Barrymore voiced the titular character, a richly pampered pet who gets dognapped in Mexico and has to escape from an evil Doberman.
2009–2019: Directorial debut and television roles:
Barrymore starred in the ensemble romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You, which received mixed reviews, partly due to her limited time on screen, while it grossed US$178 million worldwide.
She played Edith Bouvier Beale, the daughter of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (Jessica Lange) in the HBO film Grey Gardens, which is based on the 1975 documentary film.
The television film was a huge success, winning five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Rolling Stone writer Peter Travers found Barrymore to be a "revelation" in her role. Barrymore was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and the Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries.
Barrymore starred in her directorial debut film Whip It. It follows a high-schooler (Elliot Page) ditching the teen beauty pageant scene and participating in an Austin roller derby league. Barrymore worked with screenwriter Shauna Cross for months on script revisions, with Barrymore pushing her to "avoid her story's tidier prospects, to make things 'more raw and open ended.'"
While the film found limited box office receipts, it was favorably received; according to review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, critics agreed that her "directorial debut has enough charm, energy, and good-natured humor to transcend its many cliches".
For her venture, Barrymore garnered nominations for a Bronze Horse at the Stockholm Film Festival and for the EDA Female Focus Award at the 2009 Alliance of Women Film Journalists.
In Everybody's Fine, Barrymore played the daughter of a recently widowed retiree (Robert De Niro). The drama flopped at the box office, but Stephen Holden for The New York Times considered Barrymore "as ingenuous as ever" in what he described as a "small role."
Barrymore starred with Justin Long in Nanette Burstein's film Going the Distance. It follows a couple dealing the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship, while commuting between New York City and San Francisco.
It garnered generally mixed reviews by critics, who summed it as "timelier and a little more honest than most romantic comedies", and budgeted at US$32 million, the film made US$40 million at the worldwide box office.
On August 2, 2011, Barrymore directed the music video for the song "Our Deal," for the band Best Coast, which features:
- Chloë Grace Moretz,
- Miranda Cosgrove,
- Tyler Posey,
- Donald Glover,
- Shailene Woodley
- and Alia Shawkat.
Barrymore starred in the biopic film Big Miracle, which covers Operation Breakthrough, the 1988 international effort to rescue gray whales from being trapped in ice near Point Barrow, Alaska. Her character, Rachel Kramer, is based on Greenpeace activist Cindy Lowry. Despite a positive critical reception, the film flopped at the box office.
In Blended, Barrymore played a recently divorced woman ending up on a family resort with a widower (Sandler). Film critic James Berardinelli dismissed the "hit-and-miss humor" of the story and wrote that "as [Sandler and Barrymore] are concerned, the third time is definitely not the charm", as part of an overall lukewarm critical response. The film ultimately grossed US$128 million worldwide.
She and Toni Collette starred in Miss You Already (2015), as two long-time friends whose relationship is put to the test when one starts a family and the other becomes ill. Reviewers embraced the film, while it received a limited theatrical release.
In the Netflix original television series Santa Clarita Diet, Barrymore played a real estate agent who, after experiencing a physical transformation into a zombie, starts craving human flesh.
Along with co-star Timothy Olyphant, Barrymore served as an executive producer on the single-camera series, which was favorably received upon its premiere;
- Rolling Stone felt that "much of [the series' laughs] comes down to the uncrushable Drew Barrymore charm" and furthermore remarked: "The show is a welcome comeback for Barrymore, the eternally beloved grunge-era wild thing—it's not just her big move into TV, but her first high-profile performance anywhere in years. In a way, it circles back to the roles she was doing in the early [90s], playing deadly vixens in flicks like Guncrazy or Doppelganger".
2020–present: The Drew Barrymore Show:
Barrymore starred in Jamie Babbit's film The Stand In. It was set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2020, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On September 14, 2020, Barrymore launched a syndicated daytime talk show, The Drew Barrymore Show, which is also available on Spotify in a podcast format.
On December 4, 2020, she appeared as a guest star on Martha Knows Best.
On March 11, 2021, Barrymore said she was taking an indefinite hiatus from acting. She wrote a cookbook with chef Pilar Valdes entitled Rebel Homemaker, which was a New York Times bestseller.
In June 2021, she launched Drew Magazine, a quarterly released lifestyle magazine by publisher Bauer Media USA.
Barrymore was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2023.
In September 2023, Barrymore announced she would continue her syndicated TV talk show despite the ongoing WGA strike, writing, "I own this choice", when explaining her reasoning via social media.
While SAG had stated that as the host of the show she was not under any obligation to strike, her show continued without unionized writing staff. Audience members showing support for the Writer's Guild were kicked out of the studio and had any WGA pins confiscated.
Due to these events, the National Book Foundation removed Barrymore from being the host of the then upcoming 74th National Book Awards.
Barrymore apologized for her actions later that week in a video on Instagram, claiming that, "I believe there's nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK."
Barrymore deleted the apology video from her account following criticism.
On the 17th, Barrymore announced on her Instagram account that she would be postponing production of her talk show until the strike ends due to the backlash, writing, "I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show's premiere until the strike is over".
She also added, "I have no words to express my deepest apologies to anyone I have hurt, and, of course, to our incredible team who works on the show and has made it what it is today".
A spokesperson for CBS Media Ventures said, "We support Drew's decision to pause the show's return and understand how complex and difficult this process has been for her."
Media image:
Barrymore became a CoverGirl Cosmetics' model and spokeswoman in 2007. In February 2015, she became one of the faces of CoverGirl, alongside Queen Latifah and Taylor Swift.
The company partnered with her because "she emulates the iconic image of CoverGirl with her fresh, natural beauty and energetic yet authentic spirit," said Esi Eggleston Bracey, vice president and general manager of CoverGirl Cosmetics North America.
She brought not only her personality into this endorsement but also her creative side, as she also helped create the ads. She was No. 1 on People's annual 100 Most Beautiful People list in 2007. She was named the new face for the Gucci jewelry line.
Barrymore signed a contract with IMG Models New York City. She is a spokeswoman for Crocs.
In May 2007, Barrymore was named Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme and later donated $1 million to the cause.
As a guest photographer for a magazine series called "They Shoot New York", she appeared on the cover holding a Pentax K1000 film camera. She expressed hopes of exposing her work in a gallery one day, as she had documented the most recent decade of her life with a Pentax camera.
Barrymore launched a women's fashion line in fall 2017 in conjunction with Amazon.com called Dear Drew, which featured a pop-up shop in New York City that opened in November. She became the Chief Gifting Officer for Etsy in January 2024.
Personal life:
Barrymore, then-16, was briefly engaged to 25-year-old Leland Hayward, III, the grandson of producer Leland Hayward, in 1991.
Barrymore, then-17, was in a relationship with 23-year-old Jamie Walters from 1992 to 1993. He proposed to her with a diamond ring in a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle and planned to marry in spring of 1993.
Walters and Barrymore have tattoos of the other's name; Walters has her name in a cross on his upper right shoulder blade and Barrymore has his name, along with her mother's name, in a banner flown by a cherub on her lower back.
In 2023, Barrymore spoke positively of Walters while interviewing Tori Spelling, who played Walters' love interest on Beverly Hills, 90210, on her talk show.
Barrymore, then-19, began dating 31-year-old Jeremy Thomas, a Los Angeles-based business owner from Wales, in early 1994. Thomas had been allowing Barrymore, who had been receiving treatment for alcoholism on and off for several years at that point, to drink at The Room, his bar on Cahuenga Boulevard, despite being underage.
On March 20, 1994, after six weeks of dating, the two impulsively married at around 5:30 am at The Room, paying a 24-hour minister to perform the ceremony. Barrymore wore a white slip dress and combat boots.
Barrymore and Thomas separated 19 days later and she filed for divorce less than two months later, alleging that Thomas had married her for her wealth and a green card.
Their divorce was finalized in 1995.
In an interview later that year, Barrymore told Rolling Stone that Thomas was "the Devil".
.
In late 1994, Barrymore began dating Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson.
Barrymore began dating MTV host and comedian Tom Green in 1999.They were engaged in July 2000 and married a year later Together, they starred in Charlie's Angels and Green's directorial film debut, Freddy Got Fingered.
Green filed for divorce in December 2001, which was finalized on October 15, 2002.
In 2002, Barrymore began dating the Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti shortly after they met at a concert. Their relationship ended in January 2007.
She began dating Justin Long, but they broke up in July 2008.
Barrymore began dating Will Kopelman, an art consultant and the son of Arie L. Kopelman, once the chief operating officer of the French fashion house Chanel in February 2011.
Kopelman proposed to Barrymore in Sun Valley, Idaho later that year, in December, while the two were on a Christmas vacation, and media outlets reported on their engagement in January 2012. They married on June 2, 2012, in a garden-themed Jewish ceremony at her home in Montecito, California and Barrymore wore a Chanel wedding gown. Barrymore gave birth to their first child three months later, and their second child in 2014.
During her marriage to Kopelman, Barrymore expressed an interest in converting to Judaism, his faith, calling it a "beautiful faith," but never did. Barrymore announced her separation from Kopelman on April 2, 2016. They filed for divorce on July 15, 2016 and it was finalized on August 3, 2016.
In 2020, Barrymore told People she would never get married again. Kopelman married Vogue director Alexandra "Allie" Michler in 2021 and Barrymore has spoken positively of her relationship with Michler, saying she is a wonderful stepmother. Barrymore moved to Manhattan in 2023 so that her children could be closer to Kopelman.
Barrymore practices meditation.
In an interview with Contactmusic.com in 2003, Barrymore said: "Do I like women sexually? Yeah, I do. Totally. I have always considered myself bisexual. I love a woman's body. I think a woman and a woman together are beautiful, just as a man and a woman together are beautiful. Being with a woman is like exploring your own body, but through someone else".
Barrymore is the godmother of Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love.
Barrymore eats a plant-based diet, and reportedly convinced Cardi B to try veganism. Since 2023, she has resided in Manhattan.
Acting credits and accolades:
Main articles:
Pictured below: Barrymore's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Barrymore's films compiled a worldwide box office gross that stood at over US$2.3 billion. According to The Hollywood Reporter's annual Star Salary Top 10, she was tied for eighth place on the top ten list of actresses' salaries, commanding 10 to 12 million dollars per film in 2006.
Barrymore became the youngest person to host Saturday Night Live, having hosted on November 20, 1982, at seven years of age, a record that remains unbroken as of 2024.
On February 3, 2007, Barrymore hosted SNL for the fifth time, becoming the second female host (after Candice Bergen) in the show's history to do so. She hosted again on October 10, 2009, becoming the first woman to host six times.
In 1999, Barrymore was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award commemorating her outstanding achievements within the film industry as a child actress.
For her contributions to the film industry, she received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004. It is located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard.
See also;
Barrymore became the youngest person to host Saturday Night Live, having hosted on November 20, 1982, at seven years of age, a record that remains unbroken as of 2024.
On February 3, 2007, Barrymore hosted SNL for the fifth time, becoming the second female host (after Candice Bergen) in the show's history to do so. She hosted again on October 10, 2009, becoming the first woman to host six times.
In 1999, Barrymore was honored by the Young Artist Foundation with its Former Child Star "Lifetime Achievement" Award commemorating her outstanding achievements within the film industry as a child actress.
For her contributions to the film industry, she received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2004. It is located at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard.
See also;
- List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards
- The Drew Barrymore Show
- Drew Barrymore at IMDb
- Drew Barrymore at the TCM Movie Database