Lionel Barrymore
(1878 - 1954)As you may or may not have noticed, about half the cast of the film "It's a Wonderful Life" are included on these pages and more may soon join them. The truth is that I feel it is one of the Top 5 films of all time [see: Greatest Movies of All Time]. Was there ever a meaner, more despicable, curmudgeonly villain than Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter in "...Wonderful Life"? He was a stocky, tall man, wheelchair ridden in his later years, with a square, sourpuss face, heavy brows and thinning white hair as we best remember him. He was versatile enough to play any type role, but oh, what a crabby ol' cur he could play! He was a member of a famous internationally known theatrical family and was born Lionel Herbert Blythe on April 28, 1878 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the son of actors Maurice Barrymore (nee: Herbert Blythe) and Georgina Drew. He made his acting debut, with his parents, at age 5 months as a crying child. He was the first-born of the three famed Barrymores; sister Ethel was born in 1879 and brother John "the Profile" was born in 1882. He was educated at the Gilmore School in London, England; St. Vincent's Academy in New York; Seton Hall in New Jersey and the Arts Students League in New York. He didn't act professionally until in his teens. He traveled the world in stage productions and was a man of many talents including musician, composer and artist. He studied art in Paris and intended to become a serious painter. He worked for a time in Manhattan as an illustrator until persuaded by his brother John to return to acting. He became a respected Broadway actor at the age of 22 and sometimes appeared with his uncle, John Drew. He was among the first stage actors to successfully make the transition to films. An injury to his leg, coupled with severe arthritis, caused his confinement to a wheelchair in later years. Among his over 190 films were: "Paris Hat" (1908) a silent and his film debut; "The Miser's Heart" (1911) as Jule, the Thief; D.W. Griffith's "Friends" (1912) as Grizzly Fallon; "The Informer" (1912) as Union Soldier; "The Perfidy of Mary" (1913) as Mary's Father; "The End of the Tour" (1917) as Bron Bennett; "The Copperhead" (1920) as Milt Shanks; "The Great Adventure" (1921) as Priam Farll; "The Face in the Fog" (1922) as Boston Blackie Dawson; "The Eternal City" (1923) as Baron Bonelli; "Decameron Nights" (1924) as Saladin; "A Man of Iron" (1925) as Philip Durban; "The Temptress" (1926) as Canterac; "Paris at Midnight" (1926) as Vautrin; "Lucky Lady" (1926) as Count Ferranzo; "Road House" (1928) as Henry Grayson; "Sadie Thompson" (1928) as Davidson; "The Mysterious Island" (1929) as Count Andre Dakkar; "Mata Hari" (1931) as Gen. Serge Shubin; "Arsene Lupin" (1932) as Det. Guerchard; "Rasputin and the Empress" (1932) with his brother and sister, John and Ethel Barrymore, as Rasputin, one of his best roles; "Grand Hotel" (1932) as Otto Kringelein; "Washington Masquerade" (1932) as Jefferson Keane; "Dinner at Eight" (1933) as Oliver Jordan; "One Man's Journey" (1933) as Eli Watt; "Christopher Bean" (1933) as Dr. Haggett; "Carolina" (1934) as Bob Connelly; "This Side of Heaven" (1934) as Martin Turner; "Treasure Island" (1934) with Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper, as Billy Bones; "The Little Colonel" (1935) with Shirley Temple, as Col. Lloyd, one of my favorite of his roles; "David Copperfield" (1935) with Freddie Bartholomew; as Dan Peggotty; "Ah, Wilderness!" (1935) as Nat Miller; "The Road to Glory" (1936) as Papa La Roche; "The Gorgeous Hussy" (1936) as Andrew Jackson; "Camille" (1937) with Greta Garbo, as Monsieur Duval; "Saratoga" (1937) as Grandpa Clayton; "A Family Affair" (1937) as Judge James K. Hardy; "Test Pilot" (1938) as Howard B. Drake; "You Can't Take It With You" (1938) as Grandpa Martin Vanderhoff; "Young Dr. Kildare" (1938) with Lew Ayres, as Dr. Leonard Gillespie, a role he would continue in a series of Dr. Kildare films (1938-47); "Let Freedom Ring" (1939) as Thomas Logan; "On Borrowed Time" (1939) as Julian Northrop (Gramps); "The Penalty" (1941) as Grandpop Logan; "The Bad Man" (1941) as Uncle Henry Jones; "Lady Be Good" (1941) as Judge Murdock; "Tennessee Johnson" (1942) with Van Heflin, as Thaddeus Stevens; "A Guy Named Joe" (1943) as The General; "Since You Went Away" (1944) as Clergyman; "The Valley of Decision" (1945) as Pat Rafferty; "Three Wise Fools" (1946) as Dr. Richard Gaunght; "Dragon Seed" (1944) uncredited, as Narrator; "The Secret Heart" (1946) as Dr. Rossiger; "Duel in the Sun" (1946) as Sen. McCanles; his greatest role "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) as Mr. Potter; another terrific role in "Key Largo" (1948) as James Temple; "Down to the Sea in Ships" (1949) as Capt. Bering Joy; "Malaya" (1949) as John Manchester; "Right Cross" (1950) as Sean O'Malley; "Lone Star" (1951) as Andrew Jackson and "Bannerline" (1951) as Hugo Trimble, his last film. He was also a writer, writing a novel "Mr. Cantonwine" and his memoirs "We Barrymores" in 1951. He was married twice to actresses Doris Rankin, until her death in 1923, and Irene Fenwick who died in 1936. He also directed, wrote screenplays and composed scores for various films. He died on November 15, 1954 of a heart attack in Van Nuys, California at age 76.
From Great Character Actors, Page 5.
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