Editing Lionel Barrymore

{{short description|American actor, director, screenwriter (1878–1954)}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Lionel Barrymore
| image              = Lionel Barrymore 2.jpg
| imagesize          = 220
| caption            = Barrymore {{circa}} 1909
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1877|04|28}}
| birth_place        = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|1954|11|15|1877|04|28}}}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| birth_name         = Lionel Herbert Blyth
| party              = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| years_active       = 1892–1954
| occupation         = Actor
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Doris Rankin]]|1904|1922|end=div}}
* {{marriage|[[Irene Fenwick]]|1923|1936|end=d.}}
}}
| children           = 2
| parents            = [[Maurice Barrymore]]<br />[[Georgiana Drew]]
| family             = [[Barrymore family|Barrymore]]
}}

'''Lionel Barrymore''' (born '''Lionel Herbert Blyth'''; April 28, 1877 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director.<ref name="Obit">{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety196-1954-11#page/n137/mode/1up|title=A Man in His Life Plays Many Parts|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=November 17, 1954|page=2|access-date=April 25, 2018}}</ref> He won an [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his performance in ''[[A Free Soul]]'' (1931) and is known to modern audiences for the role of villainous [[Mr. Potter]] in [[Frank Capra]]'s 1946 film ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''.

He is also particularly remembered as [[Ebenezer Scrooge]] in annual broadcasts of ''A Christmas Carol'' during his last two decades. He is also known for playing Dr Leonard Gillespie in [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]'s nine [[Dr Kildare]] films, a role he reprised in a further six films focusing solely on Gillespie and in a radio series titled ''The Story of Dr Kildare''. He was a member of the theatrical [[Barrymore family]].

==Early life==
[[File:Georgie Drew Barrymore and children, Ethel, Lionel and John. NYPL 78234.jpg|right|thumb|Young Lionel with [[John Barrymore|John]], [[Ethel Barrymore|Ethel]], and their mother (1889)]]

Lionel Barrymore was born '''Lionel Herbert Blyth''' in [[Philadelphia]], the son of actors [[Georgiana Drew]] Barrymore and [[Maurice Barrymore]] (born Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blyth). He was the elder brother of [[Ethel Barrymore|Ethel]] and [[John Barrymore]], the uncle of [[John Drew Barrymore]] and [[Diana Barrymore]] and the great-uncle of [[Drew Barrymore]], among other members of the [[Barrymore family]]. He attended private schools as a child, including the [[Art Students League of New York]].<ref name=PA>Foster, Cherika and Lindley Homol. [http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Barrymore__Lionel.html "Barrymore, Lionel Herbert"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025144723/http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Barrymore__Lionel.html |date=2015-10-25 }}, Pennsylvania Center for the Book, Penn State University Libraries, 2009, accessed November 15, 2015</ref> While raised a [[Roman Catholic]],<ref>{{cite news| url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0E16F63E59177B93CBA8178AD95F408585F9 | work=The New York Times | title=Notables Attend Barrymore Rites; Hollywood Stars Join Throng at Burial of Member of Famed Acting Family | date=November 19, 1954 | access-date=May 7, 2010}}</ref> Barrymore attended the [[Episcopal Academy]] in Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mainlinetimes.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/SingleWeekly?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_wk_article&r21.pgpath=%2FMLT%2FLife&r21.content=%2FMLT%2FLife%2FHeadlineList_Story_2429913 |title=A Quiz about Main Line Schools |publisher=The Main Line Times |date=2008-09-03 |access-date=2008-12-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115041636/http://www.mainlinetimes.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/SingleWeekly?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_wk_article&r21.pgpath=%2FMLT%2FLife&r21.content=%2FMLT%2FLife%2FHeadlineList_Story_2429913 |archive-date=January 15, 2009 }}</ref> Barrymore graduated from [[Seton Hall Preparatory School]], the Roman Catholic college prep school, in the class of 1891.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shp.org/alumni-notables |title=Seton Hall Preparatory School Alumni Notables}}</ref>

==Career==
===Stage===
[[File:Portrait of Lionel Barrymore.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Barrymore, 1906]]
Reluctant to follow his parents' career,<ref name=Barrymore50>Barrymore (1951), p. 40</ref> Barrymore appeared together with his grandmother [[Louisa Lane Drew]] on tour and in a stage production of ''[[The Rivals]]'' in 1893 at the age of 15.<ref name=PA/><ref>Byers (1998), p. 29</ref> He later recounted that "I didn't want to act. I wanted to paint or draw. The theater was not in my blood, I was related to the theater by marriage only; it was merely a kind of ''in-law'' of mine I had to live with."<ref name=Barrymore50/> Nevertheless, he soon found success on stage in character roles and continued to act, although he still wanted to become a painter and also to compose music.<ref name=ANBO>{{cite web| last=Stephenson|first=William|title=Lionel Barrymore|url=http://www.anb.org/articles/18/18-00066.html |work=American National Biography Online|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=April 7, 2014}} {{subscription required}}</ref> He appeared on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in his early twenties with his uncle [[John Drew Jr.]] in such plays as ''The Second in Command'' (1901) and ''The Mummy and the Hummingbird'' (1902), the latter of which won him critical acclaim.<ref name=PA/> ''The Other Girl'' in 1903–04 was a long-running success for Barrymore.<ref name=PA/> In 1905, he appeared with John and Ethel in a [[pantomime]], starring as the title character in ''Pantaloon'' and playing another character in the other half of the bill, ''Alice Sit-by-the-Fire''.<ref>[http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=31143 Lionel Barrymore], Internet Broadway Database, accessed November 15, 2015</ref>

In 1906, after a series of disappointing appearances in plays, Barrymore and his first wife, the actress [[Doris Rankin]], left their stage careers and travelled to Paris, where he trained as an artist. Lionel and Doris were in Paris in 1908 when their first baby, Ethel, was born. Lionel confirms in his autobiography, ''We Barrymores'', that he and Doris were in France when [[Louis Bleriot|Bleriot]] flew the [[English Channel]] on July 25, 1909. He did not achieve success as a painter and in 1909 he returned to the US.<ref>Peters (1990), pp. 117–18</ref><ref>Kotsilibas-Davis (1981), p. 4</ref> In December of that year he returned to the stage in ''The Fires of Fate'', in Chicago, but left the production later that month after suffering an attack of nerves about the forthcoming New York opening. The producers gave [[appendicitis]] as the reason for his sudden departure.<ref name=ANBO/> Nevertheless, he was soon back on Broadway in ''The Jail Bird'' in 1910 and continued his stage career with several more plays. He also joined his family troupe, from 1910, in their [[vaudeville]] act, where he was happy not to worry as much about memorizing lines.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=XFnfnKg6BcAC&pg=PA72 "The Barrymores"], ''Vaudeville Old & New: An encyclopedia of variety performances in America'', Vol. 1, p. 72, Psychology Press (2004) {{ISBN|0-415-93853-8}}</ref>

From 1912 to 1917 Barrymore was away from the stage again while he established his film career, but after the First World War he had several successes on Broadway, where he established his reputation as a dramatic and character actor, often performing with his wife. He returned to the stage in ''[[Peter Ibbetson (play)|Peter Ibbetson]]'' (1917) with his brother, John, and achieved star billing in ''The Copperhead'' (1918) (with Doris).<ref name="Obit"/> He retained star billing for the next 6 years in plays such as ''The Jest'' (1919) (again with John) and ''The Letter of the Law'' (1920).<ref name="Obit"/> Lionel gave a short-lived performance as MacBeth in 1921 opposite veteran actress [[Julia Arthur]] as Lady MacBeth, but the production encountered strongly negative criticism.<ref name=ANBO/> His last stage success was in ''Laugh, Clown, Laugh'', in 1923, with his second wife, Irene Fenwick; they met while acting together in ''The Claw'' the previous year, and after they fell in love he divorced his first wife.<ref name=PA/> He also received negative notices in three productions in a row in 1925. After appearing in ''Man or Devil'' in 1926, he signed a film contract with [[MGM]] and after the advent of sound films in 1927, he never again appeared on stage.<ref name="Obit"/><ref name=ANBO/>

===Film===
[[Image:The Devil's Garden (1920) ad.jpg|right|thumb|Lionel and first wife [[Doris Rankin|Doris]] (in rocking chair) in the 1920 silent film ''[[The Devil's Garden]]''.]]
[[File:Enemies of Women (SAYRE 14365).jpg|right|thumb|Lionel Barrymore and Alma Rubens in ''[[Enemies of Women]]'' (1923)]]
Barrymore joined [[Biograph Studios]] in 1909 and began to appear in leading roles by 1911 in films directed by [[D. W. Griffith]]. Barrymore made ''[[The Battle (1911 film)|The Battle]]'' (1911), ''[[The New York Hat]]'' (1912), ''[[Friends (1912 film)|Friends]]'', and ''[[Three Friends (1913 film)|Three Friends]]'' (1913). In 1915, he co-starred with [[Lillian Russell]] in a movie called ''[[Wildfire (1915 film)|Wildfire]]'', one of the legendary Russell's few film appearances. He also was involved in writing and directing at Biograph. The last [[silent film]] he directed, ''[[Life's Whirlpool (1917 film)|Life's Whirlpool]]'' ([[Metro Pictures]], 1917), starred his sister, Ethel. He acted in more than 60 silent films with Griffith.<ref name=PA/>

# 
In 1920, Barrymore reprised his stage role in the film adaptation of ''[[The Copperhead (1920 film)|The Copperhead]]''.<ref name=PA/> Also in 1920, he starred in the lead role of ''[[The Master Mind (1920 film)|The Master Mind]]'', with [[Gypsy O'Brien]] co-starring.

Before the formation of [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] in 1924, Barrymore forged a good relationship with [[Louis B. Mayer]] early on at [[Metro Pictures]]. He made several silent features for Metro, some of which are now lost. In 1923, Barrymore and Fenwick went to Italy to film ''[[The Eternal City (1923 film)|The Eternal City]]'' for Metro Pictures in Rome, combining work with their honeymoon. He occasionally freelanced, returning to Griffith in 1924 to film ''[[America (1924 film)|America]]''. In 1925, he left New York for [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]].<ref name=PA/>

[[File:Lionel Barrymore & Irene Fenwick.jpg|thumb|left|upright|With second wife [[Irene Fenwick]], 1923]]
Prior to his marriage to Irene, Barrymore and his brother John engaged in a dispute over the issue of Irene's chastity in the wake of her having been one of John's lovers. The brothers didn't speak again for two years and weren't seen together until the premiere of John's film ''[[Don Juan (1926 film)|Don Juan]]'' in 1926, by which time they had patched up their differences. Barrymore signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1926 and his first picture there was ''[[The Barrier (1926 film)|The Barrier]]''.<ref name="Obit"/> His first talking picture was ''[[The Lion and the Mouse (1928 film)|The Lion and the Mouse]]''; his stage experience allowed him to excel in delivering the dialogue in sound films.<ref name=PA/>

On the occasional loan-out, Barrymore had a big success with [[Gloria Swanson]] in 1928's ''[[Sadie Thompson (film)|Sadie Thompson]]'' and the aforementioned Griffith film, ''Drums of Love''. In 1929, he returned to directing films. During this early and imperfect sound film period, he directed the controversial ''[[His Glorious Night]]'', with John Gilbert; ''[[Madame X (1929 film)|Madame X]]'', starring [[Ruth Chatterton]]; and ''[[The Rogue Song]]'', [[Laurel and Hardy]]'s first color film. He was credited with being the first director to move a microphone on a sound stage.<ref name="Obit"/> Barrymore returned to acting in front of the camera in 1931. In the following year, he won an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for his role as an alcoholic lawyer in ''[[A Free Soul]]'' (1931), after being considered in 1930 for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] for ''Madame X''. He played alongside Greta Garbo in the 1931 film “Mata Hari”. He could play many characters, like the evil [[Rasputin]] in the 1932 ''[[Rasputin and the Empress]]'' (in which he co-starred for the only time with siblings John and Ethel)<ref name="Obit"/> and the ailing Oliver Jordan in ''[[Dinner at Eight (1933 movie)|Dinner at Eight]]'' (1933 — also with John, although they had no scenes together). He played Professor Zelen, the Occultist expert, in the classic horror ''[[Mark of the Vampire]]'' (1935).

On April 27, 1939, Louis B. Mayer threw Barrymore a 61st birthday party (the day before his actual birthday), broadcast live on ''[[Good News of 1938|Good News of 1939]]'', and required all MGM employees to attend.<ref name=":0">Maddox, Rachel (2023). ''Prequel'' (1st ed.). Crown. pp. 139. {{ISBN|978-0-593-44451-1}}.</ref> This was likely intended to distract from, and prevent MGM attendance of, the ''[[Confessions of a Nazi Spy]]'' premiere that occurred simultaneously.<ref name=":0" /> The film was highly controversial due to its anti-Nazi message.<ref name=":0" />

During the [[1930 in film|1930]]s and [[1940 in film|1940]]s, he became stereotyped as a grouchy but sweet elderly man in such films as ''[[The Mysterious Island (1929 film)|The Mysterious Island]]'' (1929), ''[[Grand Hotel (1932 film)|Grand Hotel]]'' (1932, with John Barrymore), [[The Little Colonel (1935 film)|Little Colonel]] (1935, with Shirley Temple and Bill "Bojangles" Robinson), ''[[Captains Courageous (1937 film)|Captains Courageous]]'' (1937), ''[[Saratoga (film)|Saratoga]]'' (1937, with Jean Harlow), ''[[You Can't Take It with You (film)|You Can't Take It with You]]'' (1938), ''[[On Borrowed Time]]'' (1939, with [[Cedric Hardwicke]]), ''[[Duel in the Sun (film)|Duel in the Sun]]'' (1946), ''[[Three Wise Fools (1946 film)|Three Wise Fools]]'' (1946), and ''[[Key Largo (movie)|Key Largo]]'' (1948).

[[File:Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter.jpg|thumb|upright|Portraying [[Mr. Potter]] in ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' (1946)]]
In a series of [[Doctor Kildare]] movies in the [[1930 in film|1930]]s and [[1940 in film|1940]]s, he played the irascible Doctor Gillespie, a role he repeated in an [[Dr. Kildare|MGM radio series]] that debuted in New York in 1950 and was later syndicated. Barrymore had broken his hip in an accident, hence he played Gillespie in a wheelchair. Later, his worsening arthritis kept him in the chair.<ref>Landazuri, Margaret. [https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/86557 ''Archives Spotlight: Young Dr. Kildare'']. Turner Classic Movies.com. Accessed: 7 December 2007.</ref> The injury also precluded his playing [[Ebenezer Scrooge]] in the 1938 MGM film version of ''[[A Christmas Carol (1938 film)|A Christmas Carol]]'', a role Barrymore played every year but two (replaced by brother John Barrymore in 1936 and replaced by Orson Welles in 1938) on the radio from 1934 through 1953. He also played the title role in the 1940s radio series ''[[Mayor of the Town (radio program)|Mayor of the Town]]''.

He is well known for his role as [[Mr. Potter]], the miserly and mean-spirited banker in ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' (1946) opposite [[James Stewart]].

He had a role with [[Clark Gable]] in ''[[Lone Star (1952 film)|Lone Star]]'' in 1952. His final film appearance was a cameo in ''[[Main Street to Broadway]]'', an MGM musical comedy released in 1953. His sister [[Ethel Barrymore|Ethel]] also appeared in the film.

==Personal life==
Barrymore was married twice, to actresses [[Doris Rankin]] and [[Irene Fenwick]], a one-time lover of his brother, John. Doris's sister Gladys was married to Lionel's uncle [[Sidney Drew]], which made Gladys both his aunt and sister-in-law. Doris Rankin bore Lionel two daughters, Ethel Barrymore II<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1908/08/30/104808199.pdf "A New Ethel Barrymore"], ''The New York Times'', August 30, 1908</ref> and Mary Barrymore.<ref>''The Barrymores in Hollywood'' by James Kotsilibas Davis, c. 1981.</ref> Neither child survived infancy.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=YVkiAQAAMAAJ&dq=death+of+child+of+Lionel+Barrymore%2C+Doris+Rankin&pg=PA340 The Greenbook Album, Magazine of the Passing Show], Volume 8, p. 340, July 1912</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/annapizzey/data/d73.htm|title=NINTH GENERATION|website=Myweb.tiscali.co.uk|access-date=22 November 2017|archive-date=23 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723110250/http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/annapizzey/data/d73.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Barrymore never truly recovered from the deaths of his girls and their loss undoubtedly strained his marriage to Doris Rankin, which ended in 1922. Years later Barrymore developed a fatherly affection for [[Jean Harlow]], who was born about the same time as his daughters. When Harlow died in 1937, Barrymore and [[Clark Gable]] mourned her as though she had been family.

===Politics===
Barrymore was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]. In [[U.S. presidential election, 1944|1944]], he attended the massive rally organized by [[David O. Selznick]] in the [[Los Angeles Coliseum]] in support of the [[Thomas E. Dewey|Dewey]]-[[John W. Bricker|Bricker]] ticket as well as [[governor of California|Governor]] [[Earl Warren]] of California, who would become Dewey's running mate in 1948 and later the [[Chief Justice of the United States]]. The gathering drew 93,000, with [[Cecil B. DeMille]] as the [[master of ceremonies]] and with short speeches by [[Hedda Hopper]] and [[Walt Disney]]. Among the others in attendance were [[Ann Sothern]], [[Ginger Rogers]], [[Randolph Scott]], [[Adolphe Menjou]], [[Gary Cooper]], [[Edward Arnold (actor)|Edward Arnold]], [[William Bendix]], and [[Walter Pidgeon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.commentarymagazine.com/article/clapboard-conservatives/|title=Clapboard Conservatives|website=Commentarymagazine.com|date=December 2013 |access-date=22 November 2017}}</ref><ref>David M. Jordan, ''FDR, Dewey, and the Election of 1944'' (Bloomington and Indianapolis: [[Indiana University Press]], 2011), p. 231</ref>

[[File:Lionel Barrymore.gif|right|thumb|Hosting "Concert Hall" for [[Armed Forces Radio Service]] during [[World War II]], c. 1942]]Barrymore registered for the draft during World War II, despite his age and disability, to encourage others to enlist in the military.<ref name="mgm2">{{cite episode | title=The Lion Reigns Supreme | series=MGM: When the Lion Roared | credits=Stewart, Patrick (host) | season=1}}</ref>

He loathed the [[Income tax in the United States|income tax]], and by the time he was appearing on ''Mayor of the Town'', MGM withheld a sizable portion of his paychecks, paying back the [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] the amount he owed.<ref>''The Barrymores'' by Hollis Alpert c.1964</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thenation.com/blog/174178/when-eleanor-roosevelt-got-mgm-fire-lionel-barrymore-pro-bomb-epic |title=When Eleanor Roosevelt Got MGM to Fire Lionel Barrymore from a Pro-Bomb Epic &#124; the Nation |access-date=2013-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507072802/http://www.thenation.com/blog/174178/when-eleanor-roosevelt-got-mgm-fire-lionel-barrymore-pro-bomb-epic |archive-date=2013-05-07 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Nissen|first=Axel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ttg5DwAAQBAJ&q=lionel+barrymore+irene+fenwick&pg=PA12|title=Agnes Moorehead on Radio, Stage and Television|date=2017-10-12|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-3035-9|language=en}}</ref>

===Medical issues===
Several sources argue that arthritis alone confined Barrymore to a wheelchair.<ref>Marzano, p. 49; Willian, p. 37; Silvers, p. 234; [https://books.google.com/books?id=-kEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Lionel+Barrymore%22+arthritis&pg=PA56 "Movie of the Week: 'On Borrowed Time'."] ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]].'' July 10, 1939, p. 56, accessed 2013-05-10.</ref><ref name="Norden145">Norden, p. 145.</ref> Film historian [[Jeanine Basinger]] says that his arthritis was serious by at least 1928, when Barrymore made ''Sadie Thompson''.<ref>Basinger, p. 230.</ref> Film historian David Wallace says it was well known that Barrymore was addicted to morphine due to arthritis by 1929.<ref>Wallace, p. 78.</ref> A history of Oscar-winning actors, however, says Barrymore was only suffering from arthritis, not crippled or incapacitated by it.<ref>Bergan, Fuller, and Malcolm, p. 32.</ref> [[Marie Dressler]] biographer Matthew Kennedy notes that when Barrymore won his Best Actor Oscar award in 1931, the arthritis was still so minor that it only made him limp a little as he went on stage to accept the honor.<ref>Kennedy, p. 177.</ref> Barrymore can be seen being quite physical in late silent films like ''[[The Thirteenth Hour (1927 film)|The Thirteenth Hour]]'' and ''[[West of Zanzibar (1928 film)|West of Zanzibar]]'', where he can be seen climbing out of a window.

Paul Donnelly says Barrymore's inability to walk was caused by a drawing table falling on him in 1936, breaking Barrymore's hip.<ref name="Donnelly68" /> Barrymore tripped over a cable while filming ''[[Saratoga (film)|Saratoga]]'' in 1937 and broke his hip again.<ref>Culbertson and Randall, p. 141.</ref> (Film historian [[Robert Osborne]] says Barrymore also suffered a broken kneecap.)<ref name="Osborne">Osborne, p. 31.</ref> The injury was so painful that Donnelly, quoting Barrymore, says that [[Louis B. Mayer]] bought $400 worth of [[cocaine]] for Barrymore every day to help him cope with the pain and allow him to sleep.<ref name="Donnelly68">Donnelly, p. 68.</ref> Author David Schwartz says the hip fracture never healed, which was why Barrymore could not walk,<ref>Schwartz, p. 241.</ref> and MGM historian John Douglas Eames describes the injury as "crippling".<ref>Eames, p. 139.</ref> Barrymore himself said in 1951, that it was breaking his hip twice that kept him in the wheelchair. He said he had no other problems, and that the hip healed well, but it made walking exceptionally difficult.<ref>Barrymore and Shipp, p. 287</ref> Film historian Allen Eyles reached the same conclusion.<ref>Eyles, p. 118</ref>

Lew Ayres biographer Lesley Coffin and Louis B. Mayer biographer Scott Eyman argue that it was the combination of the broken hip and Barrymore's worsening arthritis that put him in a wheelchair.<ref>Coffin, p. 72.</ref><ref name="Eyman219">Eyman, p. 219</ref> Barrymore family biographer [[Margot Peters]] says [[Gene Fowler]] and James Doane said Barrymore's arthritis was caused by [[syphilis]], which they say he contracted in 1925.<ref>Peters, pp. 438 and 597</ref> Eyman, however, explicitly rejects this hypothesis.<ref name="Eyman219" />

Whatever the cause, Barrymore's performance in ''Captains Courageous'' in 1937 was one of the last times he would be seen standing and walking unassisted.<ref>Block and Wilson, p. 203.</ref> On his next picture, ''Saratoga'', Barrymore tripped over a cable on set, breaking his hip for the second time in two years and reportedly breaking his knee cap. Afterward, Barrymore was able to get about for a short period of time on crutches even though he was in great pain.<ref name="Osborne" /> During the filming of 1938's ''You Can't Take It With You'', the pain of standing with crutches was so severe that Barrymore required hourly shots of painkillers.<ref name="Norden145" /> By 1938, Barrymore's disability forced him to relinquish the role of Ebenezer Scrooge (a role he made famous on the radio) to British actor [[Reginald Owen]] in the MGM film version of ''A Christmas Carol''. From then on, Barrymore used a wheelchair exclusively and never walked again.<ref>Reid, p. 193.</ref> He could, however, stand for short periods of time such as at his brother's funeral in 1942.<ref name="Eyman219" />

===Composer, artist, novelist===
[[File:Lionel Barrymore 61st birthday 1939.jpg|thumb|Lionel Barrymore's 61st birthday in 1939, standing: [[Mickey Rooney]], [[Robert Montgomery (actor)|Robert Montgomery]], [[Clark Gable]], [[Louis B. Mayer]], [[William Powell]], [[Robert Taylor (American actor)|Robert Taylor]], seated: [[Norma Shearer]], Lionel Barrymore, and [[Rosalind Russell]]]]
Barrymore also composed music.<ref name=ANBO/> His works ranged from solo piano pieces to large-scale orchestral works, such as "Tableau Russe,"<ref>{{Cite book|last=Administration|first=United States Work Projects|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mPMiAQAAMAAJ&q=tableau+russe+lionel+barrymore&pg=PA2|title=List of American Orchestral Works Recommended by WPA Music Project Conductors|date=1941|publisher=Work projects administration, Federal works agency|language=en}}</ref> which was performed twice in ''Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day'' (1941) as Cornelia's Symphony, first on piano by [[Nils Asther]]'s character and later by a full symphony orchestra.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Institute|first1=American Film|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fRY0QiacQccC&q=nils+asther+dr+kildare+wedding+day&pg=PA628|title=AFI Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States|last2=Hanson|first2=Patricia King|date=1999|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-21521-4|language=en}}</ref> His piano compositions, "Scherzo Grotesque" and "Song Without Words", were published by G. Schirmer in 1945. Upon the death of his brother John in 1942, he composed a work "In Memoriam", which was performed by the [[Philadelphia Orchestra]]. His orchestral Partita was given multiple performances.<ref>{{Cite news |title=MUSIC NOTES |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.comhttp//timesmachine.content-tagging.us-east-1-01.prd.dvsp.nyt.net/timesmachine/1944/08/02/88606234.html?pageNumber=18 |access-date=2023-06-08}}</ref> He also composed the theme song of the radio program ''[[Mayor of the Town (radio program)|Mayor of the Town]]''.<ref name=PA/>

Barrymore had attended art school in New York and Paris and was a skillful illustrator, creating etchings and drawings and was a member of the [[Society of American Graphic Artists|Society of American Etchers]], now known as the Society of American Graphic Artists.<ref name="Obit"/> For years, he maintained an artist's shop and studio attached to his home in Los Angeles.<ref>[http://www.artnet.com/artists/lionel-barrymore/ "artnet: Lionel Barrymore (American, 1878–1954)"].</ref> Some of his etchings were included in the ''Hundred Prints of the Year''.<ref name=PA/>

He wrote a historical novel, ''Mr. Cantonwine: A Moral Tale'' (1953).<ref name=PA/>

He was also a horticulturalist, growing roses on his Chatsworth Ranch.<ref name="Obit"/>

==Death==
[[File:Lionel Barrymore Grave.JPG|thumb|upright|Barrymore's crypt at Calvary Cemetery]]
Barrymore died on November 15, 1954, aged 76, from a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] in the [[Van Nuys]] neighborhood of Los Angeles.<ref name=latimes>{{cite web |url=http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/lionel-barrymore/ |title=Hollywood Star Walk - Lionel Barrymore |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=1954-11-16 |access-date=2017-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717140059/http://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/lionel-barrymore/ |archive-date=2017-07-17 |url-status=live}}</ref> He was entombed in the [[Calvary Cemetery (Los Angeles)|Calvary Cemetery]] in [[East Los Angeles, California|East Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lionel Barrymore Is Dead at 76 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 16, 1954}}</ref>

==Tributes==
Barrymore received two stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in 1960—a [[List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars|motion pictures star]] and a radio star. The stars are located at 1724 [[Vine Street]] for motion pictures, and 1651 Vine Street for radio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/lionel-barrymore |title=Lionel Barrymore |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce |access-date=November 14, 2017}}</ref> He was also inducted into the [[American Theater Hall of Fame]], along with his siblings, [[Ethel Barrymore|Ethel]] and [[John Barrymore|John]].<ref name=hodges>{{cite book| last=Hodges| first=Ben| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yGx3tLELoEoC&pg=PA394| title=The Theater Hall of Fame| series=Theatre World (2008-2009)|  volume=65| publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation| year=2009|isbn=978-1-4234-7369-5| page=394}}</ref>

==Works==
{{Main|Lionel Barrymore on stage, screen and radio}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography|Philadelphia|Pennsylvania|Los Angeles|California|Radio|Theatre|Film|Conservatism}}
* [[List of actors with Academy Award nominations]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Barrymore|first=Lionel|author-link=Lionel Barrymore|title=We Barrymores|url=https://archive.org/details/webarrymores00barr|url-access=registration|year=1951|publisher=Appleton-Century-Crofts|location=New York|oclc=594282}}
* Basinger, Jeanine. ''Silent Stars.'' Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 2000.
* Bergan, Ronald; Fuller, Graham; and Malcolm, David. ''Academy Award Winners.'' New York: Smithmark Publishers, 1994.
* Block, Alex Ben and Wilson, Lucy Autrey. ''George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies, Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success.'' New York: itBooks, 2010.
* {{cite book|editor-last=Byers|editor-first=Paula K.|chapter=The Barrymores|title=Encyclopedia of World Biography|year=1998|publisher=Gale Research|location=Detroit, MI|isbn=978-0-7876-2541-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofwo00gale_2}}
* Coffin, Lesley L. ''Lew Ayres: Hollywood's Conscientious Objector.'' Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2012.
* Culbertson, Judi and Randall, Tom. ''Permanent Californians: An Illustrated Guide to the Cemeteries of California.'' Chelsea, VT: Chelsea Green Pub. Co., 1989.
* Donnelly, Paul. ''Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries.'' London: Omnibus, 2003.
* Eames, John Douglas. ''The MGM Story: The Complete History of Fifty Roaring Years.'' New York: Crown Publishers, 1975.
* Eyles, Allen. ''That Was Hollywood: The 1930s.'' London: Batsford, 1987.
* Eyman, Scott. ''Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer.'' New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005.
* Kennedy, Matthew. ''Marie Dressler: A Biography.'' Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2006.
* {{cite book|last=Kotsilibas-Davis|first=James|title=The Barrymores: the Royal Family in Hollywood|year=1981|publisher=Crown Publishers|location=New York|isbn=978-0-517-52896-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/barrymoresroyalf00kots}}
* Marzano, Rudy. ''The Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s: How Robinson, MacPhail, Reiser, and Rickey Changed Baseball.'' Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2005.
* Norden, Martin F. ''The Cinema of Isolation: A History of Physical Disability in the Movies.'' New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1994.
* Osborne, Robert A. ''Academy Awards Illustrated: A Complete History of Hollywood's Academy Awards in Words and Pictures.'' La Habra, CA: E.E. Schworck, 1969.
* {{cite book|last=Peters|first=Margot|author-link=Margot Peters|title=The House of Barrymore|year=1990|publisher=Touchstone|location=New York|isbn=978-0-671-74799-2}}
* Reid, John Howard. ''Hollywood Movie Musicals: Great, Good and Glamorous.'' Morrisville, NC: Lulu Press, 2006.
* Schwartz, David. ''Magic of Thinking Big.'' New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987.
* Silvers, Anita. "The Crooked Timber of Humanity: Disability, Ideology and the Aesthetic." In ''Disability/Postmodernity: Embodying Disability Theory.'' Mairian Corker and Tom Shakespeare, eds. New York: Continuum, 2002.
* Wallace, David. ''Lost Hollywood.'' New York: St. Martin's Press, 2001.
* Wayne, Jane Ellen. ''The Leading Men of MGM.'' New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2005.
* Willian, Michael. ''The Essential It's a Wonderful Life: A Scene-by-Scene Guide to the Classic Film.'' Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2006.

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{IMDb name|0000859}}
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=909 Photographs of Lionel Barrymore]
* {{IBDB name|31143}}
* [https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keywords=lionel+barrymore Lionel Barrymore] photo gallery NYP Library
* [https://archive.org/details/1944OrsonWellesRadioAlmanacpart1 Lionel Barrymore and several other actors on Orson Welles Radio Almanac 1944]
* [http://immortalephemera.com/wp-content/gallery/barrymores-drews/lionel-barrymore-munseys-1903.jpg Lionel Barrymore in 1902 in "The Mummy and the Hummingbird"], portrait by [[Burr McIntosh]] for Munseys Magazine
* [https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-6d1e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 The Other Girl](1903) with Elsie De Wolfe, Frank Worthing and Lionel Barrymore (NY Public Library Billy Rose collection)
* [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2cYZD_UVkI/TzpmxwGJw9I/AAAAAAAACAE/_yuRULxSikI/s1600/jack-and-lionel-1917.jpg Lionel with brother John Barrymore, 1917]
* [https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/photo-lionel-barrymore-1920-child-139442236  Lionel Barrymore as a child]

{{AcademyAwardBestActor 1927-1940}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrymore, Lionel}}
[[Category:1878 births]]
[[Category:1954 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century American male actors]]
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[[Category:Barrymore family|Lionel]]
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