Photograph of Drew Barrymore.
Drew Barrymore

Overview

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Drew Blyth Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated American actress and film producer, the youngest member of the Barrymore family of American actors. She has her own production company, Flower Films. Barrymore made her screen début in Altered States (1980); her breakout role two years later was in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She quickly became one of Hollywood's most recognized child actresses going on to establish herself in mainly comic roles.

Biography

Early life
Barrymore was born in Culver City, California, the daughter of American actor John Drew Barrymore and Ildiko Jaid Barrymore (née Makó), an aspiring actress born in a displaced persons camp in Brannenburg, West Germany to Hungarian World War II refugees. Her parents divorced after she was born. She has a half-brother John Blyth Barrymore, also an actor, and two half-sisters, Blyth Dolores Barrymore and Brahma (Jessica) Blyth Barrymore. Her maternal great-grandfather, John Drew, the actor, was Irish-born, and immigrated to the US, in the 19th Century.

Barrymore was born into the acting profession, coming from a long line of acting talent stretching back nearly 200 years; her great-great grandparents John Drew, Louisa Lane Drew, her great-grandparents Maurice Barrymore, Georgiana Drew and Maurice Costello, and her grandparents John Barrymore and Dolores Costello were all highly successful actors; John Barrymore was arguably the most acclaimed actor of his generation. She is the grand-niece of Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore (whom Winston Churchill once proposed to), and Helene Costello, and the great grandniece of John Drew, Jr., actress Louisa Drew, and silent film actor/writer/director Sidney Drew. Her father and half-brother are also actors. She is also the god-daughter of director Steven Spielberg.

Her first name, Drew, was the maiden name of her paternal great-grandmother, Georgiana Drew; her middle name, Blyth, was the original surname of the dynasty founded by her great-grandfather, Maurice Barrymore.
Rise to fame
Barrymore's career began when she was eleven months old, when she auditioned for a dog food commercial. When she was bitten by her canine co-star, the producers were afraid she would cry, but she merely laughed, and was hired for the job. She made her film debut in Altered States (1980). A year later, she landed the role of Gertie in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which made her famous. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1984 for her role in Irreconcilable Differences.
Rebellious era
In the wake of this sudden stardom, Barrymore endured a notoriously troubled childhood, already a regular at the famed Studio 54 when she was a little girl, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol by the time she was 9, smoking marijuana at 10, and snorting cocaine at 13. She was in rehab at age 13 and a second time at 14. Barrymore later described this period of her life in her 1990 autobiography, Little Girl Lost. Her nightlife and constant partying became a popular subject with the media.
New image
Barrymore used her new-found role as a sex symbol to stage a career comeback playing a manipulative, evil teenage seductress in Poison Ivy (1992). The film found enormous success on VHS when it was first released. She posed nude for the January 1995 issue of Playboy. Spielberg gave her a quilt for her 20th birthday with a note that read, "Cover yourself up". Enclosed were copies of her Playboy pictures, with the pictures altered by his art department so that she appeared fully clothed. She would eventually appear nude in five of her movies during this period. During a 1995 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Barrymore climbed onto Dave Letterman's desk and bared her breasts to him, her back to the camera. The flash was intended to celebrate his birthday. She also modeled in a series of Guess? jeans ads during this time. She underwent breast reduction surgery in 1992, and has said on the subject:

You should have seen the size of them I was a 34DD. Everybody stared at them and it was so embarrassing. They'd be like "you changed," and they'd be staring straight at my breasts. After I got my boobs reduced to a 34C, all the sudden this thing that was so scary and embarrassing wasn't a problem anymore.
Return to prominence
She made a comeback in the successful 1996 horror film Scream. Barrymore has continued to be highly bankable, and a top box office draw. She has been especially adept in romantic comedies, such as Wishful Thinking (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998), Home Fries (1998), Never Been Kissed (1999), 50 First Dates (2004), and Fever Pitch (2005). Summing up Barrymore's appeal, Roger Ebert, in his review of 50 First Dates, describes Barrymore as having a "smiling, coy sincerity", describing the film as "ingratiating and lovable". She has also produced several films, including Charlie's Angels (2000), a major box office success of 2000. After Charlie's Angels, Drew had a dramatic role in the comedy/drama Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), where she played a teenage mother in a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father (based on the real-life story of Beverly D'Onofrio). In Richard Kelly's debut movie Donnie Darko she had the fairly small role of Karen Pomeroy, the title character's English teacher. In 2003, she reprised her role as Dylan Sanders in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Maxim magazine featured Barrymore and her fellow Angels in their "Girls of Maxim" gallery after the launch of the film. Later in 2002, Barrymore appeared in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, alongside Julia Roberts. In the words of Yahoo! Movies:

"Heir to a Hollywood dynasty, child star, prepubescent drug and alcohol abuser, teenage sexpot, and resurrected vessel of celluloid purity, Drew Barrymore is nothing if not the embodiment of the rise and fall of Hollywood fortunes, self-reinvention, and the healing powers of good PR."<ref>


She was the subject of [[My Date with Drew
] (2005). In it, an aspiring filmmaker and fan uses his limited resources in an attempt to gain a date with her.

On February 3, 2004, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One of her most recent roles has involved her becoming a recurring character in the hit animated comedy Family Guy as Brian Griffin's shallow girlfriend, Jillian. She has since appeared in four episodes.

Barrymore has also appeared in the films Lucky You (2007) and Music and Lyrics (2007). She recently hosted Saturday Night Live for the fifth time, making her the second female host in the show's history to do so (Candice Bergen being the first) and still remains the youngest celebrity to host the show (Barrymore hosted in 1982 at age 7; Jodie Foster was 14 when she hosted it in 1976). Barrymore has a worldwide box office gross that stands at over $2.3 billion. According The Hollywood Reporter<nowiki>'</nowiki>s annual Star Salary Top 10, she is one of the actresses with the second highest salary per movie for 2006.

Barrymore has hosted Saturday Night Live five times.

It was announced on April 11, 2007 that Barrymore will become CoverGirl Cosmetic's newest model and spokeswoman. In April 2007, Barrymore reached No. 1 in People's annual 100 Most Beautiful People list. In May 2007, Barrymore was named Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme. In June 2007, Gucci announced that Drew Barrymore would be the new face for their jewelry line.
Personal life
Barrymore was married to Welsh bartender turned bar owner, Jeremy Thomas, from March 20 to April 28, 1994, and to comedian Tom Green from July 7, 2001 to October 15, 2002. Green filed for divorce in December 2001.

In March 2007, former magazine editor Jane Pratt claimed on her Sirius Satellite Radio show that she had a romance with Barrymore in the middle 90's. This was after Barrymore's own 2003 admission that she considered herself bisexual, commenting: "I don't think I could ever just solely be with a woman...It's just not enough for me."

Barrymore, along with R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, are the godparents of Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter of Courtney Love and the late Kurt Cobain.

She is currently dating Justin Long.

Filmography

Films

References

Multimedia
*Youtube - Drew guest stars at the opening of Epcot Center (1982).
Who is Drew Barrymore connected to?
Add a Connection

This biography says:

...She is the grand-niece of Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore (whom Winston Churchill once proposed to), and Helene Costello, and the great grandniece of John Drew, Jr., actress Louisa Drew, and silent film actor/writer/director Sidney Drew. Her father and half-brother are also actors. She is also the god-daughter of director Steven Spielberg....

This biography says:

...She has been especially adept in romantic comedies, such as Wishful Thinking (1996), The Wedding Singer (1998), Home Fries (1998), Never Been Kissed (1999), 50 First Dates (2004), and Fever Pitch (2005). Summing up Barrymore's appeal, Roger Ebert, in his review of 50 First Dates, describes Barrymore as having a "smiling, coy sincerity", describing the film as "ingratiating and lovable"...

That biography says:

...A second song was titled "Lonely." A third song, titled "Josie," a re-worked version of the band's single, "Jolene," was submitted for use in the Drew Barrymore film, Never Been Kissed but it was rejected. "Josie" was the name of Barrymore's character in the film...

That biography says:

...*Grey Gardens: From East Hampton to Broadway, a documentary by Albert Mayles about the making of the musical Grey Gardens *Edith Bouvier Beale: A Life In Pictures, a book by Eva Beale, the executor of her estate, making use of a diary, letters, poetry, and photographs from the estate. *Grey Gardens, a film starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, scheduled for release in 2008. *Grey Gardens is the subject of a song by Rufus Wainwright...

This biography says:

...Maxim magazine featured Barrymore and her fellow Angels in their "Girls of Maxim" gallery after the launch of the film. Later in 2002, Barrymore appeared in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, alongside Julia Roberts. In the words of Yahoo! Movies:...

This biography says:

...Barrymore was born into the acting profession, coming from a long line of acting talent stretching back nearly 200 years; her great-great grandparents John Drew, Louisa Lane Drew, her great-grandparents Maurice Barrymore, Georgiana Drew and Maurice Costello, and her grandparents John Barrymore and Dolores Costello were all highly successful actors; John Barrymore was arguably the most acclaimed actor of his generation...

That biography says:

Dolores Costello (September 17, 1905 – March 1, 1979) was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. She was nicknamed "The Goddess of the Silent Screen". She was the mother of John Drew Barrymore, and grandmother of Drew Barrymore.

This biography says:

...Barrymore was born into the acting profession, coming from a long line of acting talent stretching back nearly 200 years; her great-great grandparents John Drew, Louisa Lane Drew, her great-grandparents Maurice Barrymore, Georgiana Drew and Maurice Costello, and her grandparents John Barrymore and Dolores Costello were all highly successful actors; John Barrymore was arguably the most acclaimed actor of his generation. She is the grand-niece of Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore (whom Winston Churchill once proposed to), and Helene Costello, and the great grandniece of John Drew, Jr., actress Louisa Drew, and silent film actor/writer/director Sidney Drew...

This biography says:

...Barrymore was born into the acting profession, coming from a long line of acting talent stretching back nearly 200 years; her great-great grandparents John Drew, Louisa Lane Drew, her great-grandparents Maurice Barrymore, Georgiana Drew and Maurice Costello, and her grandparents John Barrymore and Dolores Costello were all highly successful actors; John Barrymore was arguably the most acclaimed actor of his generation...

That biography says:

...He gained fame as a stage actor, lauded for his portrayals of Hamlet and Richard III, and is frequently called the greatest actor of his generation. He was the brother of Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore, and the grandfather of Drew Barrymore.
How is Drew Barrymore connected to Condoleezza Rice? Tell the world.

This biography says:

Barrymore was married to Welsh bartender turned bar owner, Jeremy Thomas, from March 20 to April 28, 1994, and to comedian Tom Green from July 7, 2001 to October 15, 2002. Green filed for divorce in December 2001....

That biography says:

...As an example of his audacity, in a March 2000 episode, Tom brought Monica Lewinsky to his parents' home in Canada to search for fabric for her new business venture in designing handbags. In a similar vein to his later faux attempt at an on-air marriage to Drew Barrymore on Saturday Night Live, Tom and Monica fooled local reporters with an "important announcement" which turned out to be nothing more than a request for more fabric for Lewinsky's handbags...
How is Drew Barrymore connected to Richard Kelly (director)? Tell the world.

This biography says:

...She recently hosted Saturday Night Live for the fifth time, making her the second female host in the show's history to do so (Candice Bergen being the first) and still remains the youngest celebrity to host the show (Barrymore hosted in 1982 at age 7; Jodie Foster was 14 when she hosted it in 1976). Barrymore has a worldwide box office gross that stands at over $2.3 billion...

That biography says:

...Commenting on her years as a child actress, which she describes as an "actor’s career," Foster has said that "it was very clear to me at a young age that I had to fight for my life and that if I didn’t, my life would get gobbled up and taken away from me." She hosted Saturday Night Live at age fourteen, making her the youngest person to host at that time until Drew Barrymore hosted at the age of seven. She also said, "I think all of us when we look back on our childhood, we always think of it as somebody else...

This biography says:

* * * *Drew Barrymore Video with Johnny Carson *The Drew Barrymore Collective - Fansite *The Drewseum - A Drew Barrymore online museum

That biography says:

...Her next role was in Irreconcilable Differences (1984), starring Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, and a young Drew Barrymore. Stone plays a starlet who breaks up the marriage of a successful director and his screenwriter wife...

This biography says:

...She would eventually appear nude in five of her movies during this period. During a 1995 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Barrymore climbed onto Dave Letterman's desk and bared her breasts to him, her back to the camera...

That biography says:

...During the initial weeks of his recovery, friends of Letterman introduced reruns of the Late Show, including Drew Barrymore, Ray Romano, Robin Williams, Megan Mullally, Bill Murray, Regis Philbin, Charles Grodin, Nathan Lane, Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis, Jerry Seinfeld, Martin Short, Danny DeVito, Steve Martin and Sarah Jessica Parker...

This biography says:

...In March 2007, former magazine editor Jane Pratt claimed on her Sirius Satellite Radio show that she had a romance with Barrymore in the middle 90's...

That biography says:

...In March 2007, Pratt revealed on her Sirius Satellite Radio show that she had a lesbian affair with Drew Barrymore. Barrymore appeared on the cover of the debut issue of Jane magazine in 1997.

That biography says:

Parker maintained a strong theater presence in the early 1990s, but also maintained her reputation on the big screen, starring with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones in The Client (1994); with John Cusack in Bullets Over Broadway (1994); and with Drew Barrymore and Whoopi Goldberg in Boys on the Side (1995) as a woman with AIDS. Her next role was in a movie adaptation of yet another Craig Lucas play, Reckless (1995), alongside Mia Farrow, followed by Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady (1996), which also starred Nicole Kidman, Viggo Mortensen, Christian Bale, John Malkovich and Barbara Hershey...