This photo of Lionel was taken in the 1930s by the famous Hollywood photographer Clarence Sinclair Bull. More photos below the cut.



Lionel Barrymore was born this day in 1878 (138 years ago!) in Philadelphia, the son of actress Georgiana Drew and actor Maurice Barrymore (Barrymore was his stage name; real last name was Blythe). He was the elder brother of Ethel and John Barrymore, and was actress Drew Barrymore's great-uncle.

He was reluctant to follow his parents' acting career, but began work on the stage at the age of 15. He said, "I didn't want to act. I wanted to paint or draw. The theater was not in my blood.” Nevertheless, he soon found success on stage.

However in 1906, after a series of disappointing appearances in plays, Barrymore and his first wife, actress Doris Rankin, left their stage careers and traveled to Paris to follow his dream- to train as an artist. But he did not achieve success as a painter, and in December of 1909 he returned to the USA and to the stage.

Lionel began working in silent films in 1911 with D.W. Griffith at the Biograph Studios. He was involved in writing and directing as well as acting. He acted in more than 60 silent films with Griffith. He and his wife Doris had two daughters- Ethel Barrymore II (1908 – 1910) and Mary Barrymore (1916 – 1917); neither child survived infancy. Lionel never truly recovered from their deaths, and the loss strained his marriage to Doris Rankin, which ended in 1922. He married his second wife, actress Irene Fenwick, in 1923.

Before the formation of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1924, Barrymore forged a good relationship with Louis B. Mayer at Metro Pictures. He made several silent features for Metro, most of them now lost. He starred with Gloria Swanson in 1928's “Sadie Thompson”. 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, and “Madame X” starring Ruth Chatterton. Lionel returned to acting in front of the camera in 1931. In that year, he won an Academy Award for his role as an alcoholic lawyer in “A Free Soul” (1931), after being considered for Best Director in 1930 for “Madame X”. He could play many characters, like the evil Rasputin in the 1932 “Rasputin and the Empress” (the only film in which he co-starred with both his siblings John and Ethel) and the ailing Oliver Jordan in “Dinner at Eight” (1933 – also with John, although they had no scenes together). But during the 1930s and 1940s, he became stereotyped as a grouchy but sweet elderly man in such films as “The Mysterious Island” (1929), “Grand Hotel” (1932, with his brother John Barrymore), “Captains Courageous” (1937), Frank Capra’s “You Can't Take It with You” (1938), “Duel in the Sun”(1946), and “Key Largo” (1948).

He also did a series of Doctor Kildare movies in the 1930s and 1940s, playing the short-tempered Doctor Gillespie, a role he repeated in an MGM radio series in the 1950s. Perhaps his best known film role, thanks to repeated Christmas- time replays on television, was Mr. Potter, the miserly and mean-spirited banker in “It's a Wonderful Life” (1946).
He spent most of his screen career under contract to MGM (1926-52). He was one of the very few screen actors in the 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s who had a prolific career despite being in a wheelchair. From 1938, his screen roles were written to accommodate his disability. Lionel suffered from arthritis, but it was because he broke his hip twice, and it never healed correctly, that he was eventually bound to a wheelchair. Barrymore's performance in “Captains Courageous” (1937) was one of the last times he would be seen standing and walking unassisted.

Besides being a famed actor, he was composer and author. He wrote a historical novel "Mr. Cantonwine: A Moral Tale" (1953) as well as his autobiography. In 1944, he joined ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers). His compositions ranged from solo piano pieces to large-scale orchestral works. One piece he composed was a memoriam for his late brother John, which was later performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Barrymore did have skill as graphic artist, creating etchings and drawings, and enjoyed working in his artist's shop and studio attached to his home in Los Angeles (see a few examples of his art below the cut).

Lionel Barrymore died from a heart attack on November 15, 1954, at age 76 in Van Nuys, California. He is honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the motion picture and radio categories. He is also a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame, along with his siblings, Ethel and John.



Here's a photo of Lionel, Ethel, and John in costume for "Rasputin and the Empress" (1932). John was always known as "The Great Profile". Here we see they all had nice profiles:



Here's another from that same photo shoot:



Lionel in Rasputin costume, Walt Disney, Ethel, and John, 1932:



Lionel as a child with his younger sister Ethel and younger brother John, with their actress mother Georgiana Drew:



Lionel in a very rare still from the silent film "Wildfire" in 1915:



Lionel in knickers with brother John- looking over a script, maybe?



A great photo from what is probably his most famous role as Mr. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life":



Lionel in wheelchair in "Duel in the Sun" (1946) with Lillian Gish, Joseph Cotten, and Jennifer Jones:



Lionel with 2nd wife Irene Fenwick, taken in 1923:



A nice photo of all 3 siblings:



Here's an example of his artwork:



And here's a self-portrait Lionel drew of himself as Rasputin. It's currently for sale on Ebay for $595. The framed print (print 3/20) was one he gave his chauffeur as a gift:

http://vintagephoto.livejournal.com/6122625.html