'Drew Blyth Barrymore' (born
February 22,
1975) is an
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 to American actor
John Drew Barrymore and
Ildiko Jaid Barrymore (née Makó), an aspiring actress born in a
refugee 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.
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 goddaughter 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 11 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''.
''Little Girl Lost'' Era
In the wake of this sudden stardom, she 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
Though she overcame her substance abuse problems by the time she entered adulthood, she maintained her "bad girl" image, and 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. At that time she had also appeared nude in five of her recent movies. 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.
Return to Prominence (1996-present)
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 Drew'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''".
[1] 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 ''. ''
Maxim magazine'' featured Barrymore and her fellow Angels in their "Girls of Maxim"
[2] 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:
[3]
:''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.''
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''
's annual Star Salary Top 10, she is one of the actresses with the second highest salary per movie for 2006.
[4]
In March 2007, former magazine editor
Jane Pratt claimed on her
Sirius Satellite Radio show that she had a romance with Barrymore.
[5][6] 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."''
[7]
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
[8] list, taking the title from
Angelina Jolie.
In May 2007, Drew Barrymore was named Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations
World Food Programme [9] In June 2007, Gucci announced that Drew Barrymore would be the new face for their jewelry line.
Filmography
Films
Other Recognition
★ Holds the record for the most family members on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
★ In 2001,
Hasty Pudding Theatricals recognized Barrymore as Woman of The Year.
★ In April 2007, Barrymore reached No. 1 in ''
People's annual 100 Most Beautiful People
[8] list
★ Is the first actress to grace the cover of ''
Jane magazine''
See also
★
Barrymore family
References
1. Review of ''50 First Dates'', Roger Ebert, February 13, 2004
2. http://www.maximonline.com/girls_of_maxim/pictures_and_bio/993/DrewBarrymore.girl?src=wiki
3. Yahoo movies
4. http://www.hollywood.com/news/Kidman_Tops_Hollywood_Earners_List/3591650
5. http://hollywood.outsidethebeltway.com/2007/03/jane-pratt-claims-drew-barrymore-lesbian-sex-romp
6. http://www.hollywood.com/news/Barrymores_Lesbian_Lover_to_Reveal_All/3677624
7. http://uk.gay.com/headlines/4709
8. People's 100 Most Beautiful People
9. Actress Drew Barrymore becomes advocate for UN World Food Programme 9 May 2007 accessed 15 May 2007 un.org
10. People's 100 Most Beautiful People
External links
★
★
★
★
Drew Barrymore Video with
Johnny Carson
★
The Drew Barrymore Collective - Fansite
★
The Drewseum - A Drew Barrymore online museum
Multimedia
★
Youtube - Drew guest stars at the opening of Epcot Center (1982).
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