Ethel Barrymore First Lady of American Theatre

Actress Daughter of Drew and Barrymore Theatrical Family

Jun 20, 2009
Kathleen Airdrie

Ethel Barrymore - Carl Van Vechten

Born into the famous theatrical family, Ethel Mae Blythe assumed the stage name selected by her father Maurice who wanted to avoid embarrassment to his English parents.

The younger sister of Lionel and older sister of John, Ethel was born August 15, 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Maurice and Georgie (Drew) Barrymore.

Maternal Grandmother Louisa Drew

Their mother’s death from tuberculosis in 1893 meant that Ethel had to assume many adult responsibilities in the family as Maurice was seldom in his children's lives. Her maternal grandmother Louisa Drew urged her to enter the theatre, and to earn money, fifteen-year-old Ethel left school and gave up dreams of becoming a concert pianist.

Having worked with Louisa's acting company, she made her stage debut in 1894 New York where she received praise for her natural talent and stage presence. Invited to appear in a London production, she received adoration from audiences and quickly became known to England’s social and artistic elites. Back in the United States in 1898, she was a national celebrity and trendsetter.

By 1905, she was starring in lead roles on Broadway, and in 1909 she married Russell Griswold Colt with whom she had three children, John Drew, Samuel Barrymore, and Ethel. Her vaudeville debut during The Palace Theatre's inaugural season (1913) proved to be a lucrative venture that continued for 25 years. While she continued to receive rave reviews for her stage work, she succumbed to the lure of movies, but was not enthralled by the medium and returned to New York.

Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York

Divorced from her husband in 1921, she did not marry again. Through her brilliant performances in New York, she was hailed as the First Lady of the American Theatre, and in 1928, the Ethel Barrymore Theatre opened in New York.

The Depression era was a time of financial difficulty as theatre audiences dwindled. In 1932, Ethel, Lionel, and John Barrymore performed together in the movie, Rasputin and The Empress. She also performed on radio in a series that featured some of her stage roles.

Academy Award for Performance as Mother of Cary Grant

Ethel returned to New York in 1940 to perform in some of her greatest roles. Her most recognized and acclaimed character was Miss Moffatt in the three-year run of The Corn is Green. During a return to Hollywood, she refused to appear in second-rate movies such as were given to her earlier. In 1944, she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Cary Grant’s mother in None but the Lonely Heart.

Moving from romantic leads to strong supporting characters, Ethel performed in top films such as The Spiral Staircase, Portrait of Jennie, and The Paradine Case. She often portrayed brittle but warm-hearted matriarchs, as in The Farmer’s Daughter. She made her last public appearance at a televised testimonial given in her honor on her 78th birthday.

Ethel Barrymore, one of the most respected stage and film actresses of her time, died June 18, 1959, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, the last of the amazing trio.

Sources:

The Barrymores: Hollywood's First Family by Carol Stein Hoffman and Leonard Maltin, Published by University Press of Kentucky, 2001
Famous Actor-Families in America by Montrose Jonas Moses, Published by Thomas Y. Crowell and Company, 1906
Vaudeville, Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America by Frank Cullen, Florence Hackman, and Donald McNeilly, Published by Routledge, 2007