Ever looked at a photo of Lionel Barrymore—the guy who played the mean Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life—and thought, "Wait, he looks kinda like Drew?"
You’re not imagining things.
It’s in the eyes. That specific Barrymore squint. The way they both seem to own whatever room (or screen) they happen to be in. Honestly, the connection between Lionel Barrymore and Drew Barrymore is more than just a shared last name or a Hollywood coincidence. It is a straight-line inheritance of talent, trauma, and a weirdly resilient brand of stardom that has survived over a century of public scrutiny.
When you dig into the history, you realize Drew isn't just a 90s rom-com icon who transitioned into a talk show host. She’s the living end of a lineage that basically invented the American acting dynasty.
The Family Tree: How Are They Related?
Let’s get the technical stuff out of the way. Lionel Barrymore is Drew’s great-uncle.
To break it down: Lionel was the older brother of John Barrymore (the "Great Profile"). John Barrymore was Drew’s grandfather. That makes Lionel the uncle of Drew’s father, John Drew Barrymore.
Basically, if Lionel were still around, he’d be the formidable old relative at the Thanksgiving table telling Drew stories about the silent film era while she talked about her latest Flower Beauty launch.
The Barrymores weren't just actors; they were the "Royal Family of Broadway" before they ever touched Hollywood. Lionel, along with his siblings John and Ethel, were the original triple threat. They were the first family to have three siblings all become massive, Oscar-winning stars.
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The Grumpy Great-Uncle: Lionel’s Legacy
Lionel wasn't just some supporting actor. He was a force.
He won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1931 for A Free Soul. He played Dr. Gillespie in the Dr. Kildare series. He was a composer, a painter, and a director. But most people remember him as the wheelchair-bound, snarling antagonist to Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey.
The irony? Lionel spent much of his later career in that wheelchair because of severe arthritis and a series of hip injuries, not because it was a character choice. He worked through immense physical pain, which gave his performances a certain... let's call it "authentic grumpiness."
The Barrymore Curse: A Shared Burden
You can't talk about Lionel Barrymore and Drew Barrymore without talking about the "curse." It’s a heavy word, but for a long time, it fit.
The Barrymore family has always been defined by a duality: incredible brilliance and self-destruction.
- John Barrymore (Grandfather): A genius who drank himself to death at 60.
- John Drew Barrymore (Father): A man who struggled with his father’s shadow and severe substance abuse, eventually becoming a recluse.
- Diana Barrymore (Aunt): Wrote a memoir titled Too Much, Too Soon about her addiction before her tragic death at 38.
Then came Drew.
By now, her story is legend. The 7-year-old girl from E.T. who was hitting clubs at 9 and in rehab by 13. She was the "bad girl" of the family, seemingly destined to follow the tragic path of her grandfather and her great-aunt.
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But she didn't.
Breaking the Cycle
While Lionel found a way to survive the industry by becoming a respected character actor and mentor, Drew did something even more radical. She took the Barrymore name and redefined it.
She didn't just stay an actress. She became a producer. She founded Flower Films when she was only 20. She produced Never Been Kissed and Charlie's Angels, proving that a Barrymore could actually be a savvy business executive, not just a tragic figure in a tabloid.
There’s a strange symmetry there. Lionel was the "stable" one among his siblings (well, stable-ish). He was the one who kept working, who showed up, who became a staple of the MGM studio system for decades. Drew, in her own way, has become the "stable" Barrymore of the modern era—a woman who transformed her family's reputation from "brilliant but broken" to "resilient and relatable."
What Most People Get Wrong About the Name
People often think being a Barrymore is like having a golden ticket. In Hollywood, it’s usually the opposite.
Expectations are a nightmare.
When Drew started out, people weren't just looking at her; they were looking for her grandfather’s ghost. They were waiting for her to fail. Lionel faced similar pressures. He actually didn't even want to be an actor at first. He wanted to be a painter. He went to Paris to study art, trying to escape the family business.
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He only came back to the stage because, frankly, Barrymores are meant to be seen. They have a certain theatricality in their DNA. Whether it's Lionel’s booming, gravelly voice or Drew’s sunny, "hands-all-over-the-place" interviewing style, they share a trait of being unapologetically themselves.
Real Experts on the Dynasty
Historians like Carol Higgins Clark or the archivists at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences often point to the Barrymores as the first example of a brand being built on a surname.
Before the Kardashians or the Coppolas, the Barrymores were the prototype. They proved that talent could be hereditary, but they also proved that the public has an insatiable appetite for the rise, fall, and resurrection of a dynasty.
The Key Lessons from the Barrymore Lineage
If you’re looking at the lives of Lionel Barrymore and Drew Barrymore, there are a few real-world takeaways that go beyond celebrity gossip.
- Reinvention is a survival skill. Lionel went from a leading man to a director to the world’s most famous "grumpy old man" character actor. Drew went from a child star to a "train wreck" to a mogul. If you stay in one box, you’re done.
- Legacy is a choice. You can inherit a name, but you decide what it stands for. Drew chose to honor her ancestors by succeeding where they struggled.
- Vulnerability scales. Lionel’s best roles were often men who were physically or emotionally fragile. Drew’s entire brand is built on being "real." Authenticity (even when it's messy) is what keeps an audience coming back for 100 years.
How to Explore the Barrymore History Yourself
If you want to see the DNA in action, you’ve got to do a little homework.
Start by watching Grand Hotel (1932). It’s one of the few times Lionel and his brother John appeared on screen together. You can see the different "flavors" of Barrymore talent—John is the dashing thief, Lionel is the dying clerk. Then, hop over to Max or your favorite streamer and watch Drew in Grey Gardens (2009).
In Grey Gardens, Drew plays "Little" Edie Beale, a real-life relative of the Kennedys. The performance is incredibly theatrical and transformative. It’s the kind of work her Great-Uncle Lionel would have respected—a total immersion into a character that is both tragic and hopeful.
The Barrymore name isn't just about the past. It’s about the fact that no matter how many times this family gets knocked down, they somehow find a way back into the spotlight.
Next Steps for the Barrymore Fan:
Check out the 1932 film Rasputin and the Empress—it is the only movie that features all three siblings (Lionel, John, and Ethel) together. Once you’ve seen the "original" trio, look for Drew’s 2015 memoir Wildflower. It provides the most honest look at how she views her place in this massive, messy, and magnificent family history.