We Barrymores

Lionel Barrymore, (born April 28, 1878, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.—died November 15, 1954, Van Nuys, California), American stage, film, and radio actor who forged a career as one of the most important character actors of the early 20th century. Perhaps the least flamboyant member of the Barrymore acting family, he was best known to modern audiences for his performance as Mr. Potter in the classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life (1946).

Barrymore was the son of the stage actors Maurice and Georgiana Barrymore, founders of the celebrated family of actors. Although he appeared in a few plays in his teens, he did not intend to enter the family profession and instead studied painting in Paris for three years. He found that he was unable to earn a living as a painter, however, and he returned to the United States and to acting. He soon established his reputation as an actor in New York City in such plays as Peter Ibbetson (1917), The Copperhead (1918), and The Jest (1919).