Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Drew Barrymore





Full Biography

An adorable child star who overcame an out-of-control adolescence and reclaimed her post as America's mischievous but pure-hearted sweetheart, Drew Barrymore rode a career rollercoaster spanning two decades before the age of 25. The product of an acting dynasty that runs from great-great-grandmother Louisa Lane Drew through grandfather John Barrymore, the youngest Barrymore showed promise from the start, appearing in commercials before the age of one. While her lineage was responsible for some notice, the saccharine-free sweetness of her performance as little Gertie in the 1982 classic "ET, The Extra-Terrestrial" won Barrymore acclaim reserved for the truly talented. Her watchability propelled many a subsequent film, including the otherwise unremarkable Stephen King adaptations "Firestarter" (1984) and "Cat's Eye" (1985). A victim of 1980s Hollywood lifestyle, Barrymore had too much too soon, and began to attract less attention for her acting than for the increasingly sordid tabloid stories about her pre-adolescent addictions to drugs and alcohol. After undergoing rehab and—another Barrymore tradition—publishing a memoir, "Little Girl Lost" (1989), the resilient teen made an impressive comeback in the early 90s, riding a wave of both celebrity and controversy.
Still possessing the angelic glow of her childhood, but with an added air of trouble, Barrymore portrayed Lolita-like teens in "Poison Ivy" (1992), "Guncrazy" (1992) and the ABC-TV movie "The Amy Fisher Story" (1993), based on the sordid case of the Long Island teenager who shot the wife of her former lover. The actress returned to big-budgeted features with the disappointing Western "Bad Girls" (1994), then was cast alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Mary-Louise Parker in the touching "Boys on the Side" (1995), a female road movie that capitalized on Barrymore's undeniable charm, and showcased an acting depth that had not previously been completely realized. In 1995, she took on two other disparate roles, first playing a suicidal teen opposite Chris O'Donnell in the sweetly acted if critically panned "Mad Love,” followed by a cameo role as the glitzy but inherently childlike femme fatale Sugar in "Batman Returns,” a Marilyn Monroe inspired character that it seemed Barrymore was born to play. This role reunited her with Joel Schumacher, a big supporter of hers who gave her a break on the enjoyable "2000 Malibu Road,” a short-lived trashy soap on CBS in 1992.

During her post-rehab comeback, Barrymore reappeared in the gossip columns with colorful extracurricular antics. Unlike her previous drug related escapades, the young woman seemed much more in control of every situation, with some spontaneous free-spirited nudity ranking as the most shocking of her activities. Among the more memorable capers was a birthday dance for bemused talk show host David Letterman which culminated in her flashing her breasts for Dave's eyes only. Barrymore additionally garnered much newsprint by stripping on stage at a trendy New York performance space and posing for Playboy. In another movie star rite-of-passage, she endured a month-long marriage to a Welsh bar owner. Audiences responded positively to her carefree spirit and the harmless stunts that peppered the actress' road to adulthood.

Blonde and beautiful, with a warm, open smile and a somewhat devilish fire in her eyes, Barrymore certainly looks like the perfect American icon, a fact not lost on director Wes Craven who hired her for a pivotal role in his tongue-in-cheek slasher flick "Scream" (1996). As the biggest name in the cast, Barrymore brilliantly opted for the role of the first victim, helping to establish the film as a new thriller experience, bucking the preset conventions of the horror genre. She followed with a turn in the ensemble of Woody Allen's odd musical "Everyone Says I Love You" (1996), gracefully and sympathetically portraying a tony New York City daughter of privilege, reminding audiences and co-stars alike of her Hollywood royalty roots. (Although unlike her co-stars, her singing voice was dubbed by a professional.) Barrymore had a popular hit with 1998's "The Wedding Singer,” perfectly playing the sweetly captivating Julia opposite Adam Sandler in this enjoyable 1980s-set romantic comedy.

Also in 1998, the actress happily took on Cinderella in "Ever After,” embroidering the story with a female empowering modern sensibility. Barrymore was thrilled with the character, a smart, sensitive, but staunch young woman dealing with family issues, as well as the structure of the film, which differed from the traditional beautiful girl with ugly oppressors saved by a fairy godmother story. The result was a charming and affirming romance, with Barrymore proving more than capable of carrying a film as the primary star. The quirky comedy "Home Fries" (1998) came next, starring the actress as a pregnant fast food worker who falls in love with the her unborn child's adult would-be stepbrother (played by Barrymore's then-companion Luke Wilson). The actress veritably lit up the screen with her inimitable spirit and radiance. A sharp and thoughtful businesswoman as well, her Flower Films (formed in 1994) secured a deal with Fox 2000 that led to the charming 1999 comedy "Never Been Kissed,” in which she essayed a twentysomething reporter posing as a high school student for an undercover assignment.

Under her banner Flower Films productions, Barrymore joined forces with Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu in a big screen version of the 70s campy TV series "Charlie's Angels" (2000). A box-office hit, the film was, in the words of one critic, "an appealing mix of sexy, tongue-in-cheek fun; high-energy action; slick production values; and more chick-flick worthy outfits/hairdos than you can bat an eyelash at." The following year, Barrymore undertook her most demanding role to date, portraying a teenager who gets pregnant, eventually marries and then raises her child as a single mother in "Riding in Cars with Boys.” Playing a character that aged from 16 to her mid-30s, she offered a strong turn that showed a previously untapped range and depth.

Barrymore has also displayed a certain savvy behind the scenes, serving as a producer on several projects via her company, Flower Films, with her partner Nancy Juvonen. Along with producing and developing her own starring vehicles—including "Never Been Kissed," "Charlie's Angels" and a remake of "Barbarella"—she also shepherded the much-admired "Donnie Darko" (2001) in which she had a small role. In 2002, Barrymore co-starred with Julia Robert in "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," directed by George Clooney, delivering a more womanly performance as Penny, the somewhat fictionalized girlfriend of real-life game show producer Chuck Barris. Displaying her typical warmth and patented adorable qualities, Barrymore was also mature, real and vulnerable. She next reunited with Diaz and Liu for the sequel "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" (2003). The trio demonstrated, once again, their expertise as masters of espionage, martial arts, and disguise, and as producer of the film Barrymore scored a major buzz-building coup by personally luring Hollywood expatriate Demi Moore out of semi-retirement to play the movie's villainess. That same year, Barrymore also produced and co-starred in the broad comedy "Duplex" opposite Ben Stiller, playing an upwardly mobile couple whose home owning dreams become a nightmare when they encounter the seemingly sweet old lady next door.

In 2004, just days after becoming the sixth member of her famed family to receive a star of Hollywood's Walk of Fame, Barrymore was reunited on-screen with her "Wedding Singer" co-star Sandler in "50 First Dates," a screwy romantic comedy that cast her as Lucy Whitmore, a woman who suffers from a disorder that eliminates her short term memory each day, forcing a smitten veterinarian (Sandler) to win her heart anew every 24 hours. Again wearing the hats of both producer and star, Barrymore returned to the romantic comedy genre again for "Fever Pitch" (2005), playing a corporate climber whose idyllic romance with a schoolteacher (Jimmy Fallon) is threatened by his insane devotion to the Boston Red Sox. The film, directed by the Farrelly brothers from the Nick Hornby novel, was a winsome, appealing effort that showcased both stars warm-hearted charm.

Next she generously made an all-important appearance in tyro filmmaker Brian Herzlinger's shameless "My Date With Drew" (2005), a documentary chronicling his attempts to meet Barrymore, a supposed lifelong crush, in 30 days before having to return the video camera he purchased—the film's attempts to be goofily romantic were undermined by the real objects of Herzlinger's infatuation: himself and his nascent film career. After voicing the schoolteacher Maggie in the animated “Curious George” (2006), Barrymore played the quirky plant lady with a penchant for writing lyrics who falls for a washed-up ‘80s pop star (Hugh Grant) struggling to write a hit song in the middling romantic comedy “Music & Lyrics” (2007). Barrymore then appeared in director Curtis Hanson’s relationship drama, “Lucky You” (2007), playing a young singer from Bakersfield with more heart than talent pursued by an exceptionally talented poker player (Eric Bana) who takes advantage of his opponents across the table, but actively avoids long-term commitments in his personal life.


Profession(s):
Actor, producer, worked in a coffee house Sometimes Credited As:
Drew Blythe Barrymore

Family
aunt:Diana Barrymore (Born in 1920; died in 1960)
father:John Barrymore Jr (Born June 4, 1932; separated from Barrymore's mother before her birth, they divorced in 1984; was estranged from daugther for most of his life; died of cancer, Nov. 29, 2004 at age 72)
godmother:Anna Strasberg
grandfather:John Barrymore (Born in 1882; highly acclaimed matinee idol of stage and screen in the 1920s and 30s; known as 'The Great Profile'; died in 1942)
grandmother:Dolores Costello (Popular star of silent films who made a memorable comeback in "The Magnificent Ambersons" (1942))
great-aunt:Ethel Barrymore (Legendary stage performer who in her later years played character roles in Hollywood films; Oscar winner as Best Supporting Actress for "None But the Lonely Heart" (1944))
great-aunt:Helene Costello (Sister of Dolores Costello, also a silent screen star)
great-grandfather:Maurice Barrymore (Born in 1847; popular stage actor and matinee idol; died of syphilis in 1905)
great-grandfather:Maurice Costello (Known as 'The Dimpled Darling'; was one of the first matinee idols of the screen (beginning c. 1908))
great-grandmother:Georgianna Drew (Born in 1855; died in 1893)
great-great-grandfather:John Drew
great-great-grandmother:Louisa Lane Drew (First woman theater manager in USA)
great-uncle:Lionel Barrymore (Born in 1878; famed, prolific actor who worked primarily in Hollywood over the course of his lengthy career; Oscar winner as Best Actor for "A Free Soul" (1931); died in 1954)
half-brother:John Blyth Barrymore (Born in 1954; father, John Barrymore; mother, Cara Williams; experienced own struggles with addictions)
half-sister:Jessica Barrymore (Older; father, John Barrymore; mother, Nina Wayne)
half-sister:Blyth Dolores Barrymore (Born in 1962; father, John Barrymore; mother, Gabriella Palazzoli)
husband:Jeremy Thomas (Welsh-born; married March 20, 1994 after a five-week courtship; together for 19 days; filed for divorce May 10, 1994; divorced 11 months later)
husband:Tom Green (Began dating in March 2000; announced engagement in July 2000; eloped to the South Pacific in March 2001; remarried in ceremony before friends and family on July 6, 2001; Green filed for divorce on Dec. 17, 2001; divorced finalized in 2002)
mother:Ildiko Jaid (Separated from Barrymore's father before her birth; they divorced in 1984; posed for Playboy magazine in September 1995, eight months after her daughter did in January 1995)
Companion(s)
Alec Pure , Companion , ```..Born c. 1976; no longer together
Brandon Davis , Companion , ```..Briefly dated in 2002
Eric Erlandson , Companion , ```..Born c. 1963; guitarist with the rock group Hole (featuring Courtney Love); Barrymore nicknamed him 'String Bean' (he stands 6'4"); no longer together
Fabrizio Moretti , Companion , ```..Began dating May 2002; split briefly in the fall of 2002; rumored to be engaged as of January 2003; ended relationship in January 2007
James Walters , Companion , ```..Born July 1969; announced one-year engagement in August 1992; separated in January 1993
Jeremy Davies , Companion , ```..Dated briefly in 1999
Joel Shearer , Companion , ```..Dated in 2002
Justin Long , Companion , ```..Began dating August 2007
Luke Wilson , Companion , ```..Born c. 1971; worked with Barrymore in "Best Men" (1997) and "Home Fries" (1998); together from 1996 to 1999
Phedon Papamichael , Companion , ```..Together c. 1992; no longer together
Spike Jonze , Companion , ```..Dated for a few months in 2007; no longer together
Val Kilmer , Companion , ```..Rumored to have been involved c. 1995; Barrymore has said they were only friends

Filmography


Entering Ephesus - ( Producer / / Announced / )
Everybody's Fine - ( - Cast / / Announced / )
He Loves Me - ( Producer / / Announced / )
He Loves Me - ( - Cast / / Announced / )
I'm With the Band - ( / / Announced / )
Surrender Dorothy (Warner Bros) - ( Producer / / Announced / )
Surrender Dorothy (Warner Bros) - ( / / Announced / )
The Au Pairs - ( Producer / / Announced / )
Whip It! - ( Director / / Announced / )
Whip It! - ( Executive Producer / / Announced / )
Beverly Hills Chihuahua - ( Chloe / 2008 / Lensing/Awaiting Release / )
He's Just Not That Into You - ( Producer / 2008 / Lensing/Awaiting Release / )
He's Just Not That Into You - ( Mary / 2008 / Lensing/Awaiting Release / )
Grey Gardens - ( Little Edie / / Lensing/Awaiting Release / )
Lucky You - ( Billie Offer / 2007 / Released / Warner Bros. Pictures International )
Lucky You - ( Song Performer / 2007 / Released / Warner Bros. Pictures International )
Manufacturing Dissent - ( Herself / 2007 / Released / )
Music and Lyrics - ( Sophie Fisher / 2007 / Released / )
Music and Lyrics - ( Song Performer / 2007 / Released / )
Curious George - ( Maggie / 2006 / Released / )
Fever Pitch - ( Producer / 2005 / Released / )
Fever Pitch - ( Lindsey / 2005 / Released / )
50 First Dates - ( Lucy Whitmore / 2004 / Released / )
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - ( Producer / 2003 / Released / )
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle - ( Dylan / 2003 / Released / )
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - ( Penny / 2003 / Released / )
Duplex - ( Nancy / 2003 / Released / )
Duplex - ( Producer / 2003 / Released / )
Donnie Darko - ( Karen Pomeroy / 2001 / Released / )
Donnie Darko - ( Executive Producer / 2001 / Released / )
Freddy Got Fingered - ( Davidson's Receptionist / 2001 / Released / )
Riding in Cars With Boys - ( Beverly Donofrio / 2001 / Released / )
Skipped Parts - ( Fantasy Girl / 2001 / Released / )
Charlie's Angels - ( Producer / 2000 / Released / )
Charlie's Angels - ( Dylan / 2000 / Released / )
Titan A.E. - ( of Akima / 2000 / Released / )
Best Men - ( Hope / 1999 / Released / Ribeiro )
Never Been Kissed - ( Josie Geller / 1999 / Released / )
Never Been Kissed - ( Executive Producer / 1999 / Released / )
Ever After - ( Danielle / 1998 / Released / )
Home Fries - ( Sally / 1998 / Released / Village Roadshow Pictures Worldwide )
Pariah - ( The Lavender Mob / 1998 / Released / )
The Wedding Singer - ( Julia / 1998 / Released / Alliance Releasing )
Wishful Thinking - ( / 1998 / Released / Shochiku Company, Ltd. )
Inside the Goldmine - ( Daisy / 1997 / Released / )
Everyone Says I Love You - ( Skylar / 1996 / Released / Village Roadshow Pictures Worldwide )
Scream - ( Casey / 1996 / Released / Spentzos Films )
Batman Forever - ( Sugar / 1995 / Released / )
Boys on the Side - ( Holly / 1995 / Released / )
Mad Love - ( Casey / 1995 / Released / )
Bad Girls - ( Lilly Laronette / 1994 / Released / )
Motorama - ( Fantasy Girl / 1993 / Released / )
No Place To Hide - ( Tinsel Hanley / 1993 / Released / )
Wayne's World 2 - ( Bjergen Kjergen / 1993 / Released / )
Poison Ivy - ( Ivy / 1992 / Released / Ascii Pictures )
Far From Home - ( Joleen Cross / 1989 / Released / )
See You in the Morning - ( Cathy Goodwin / 1989 / Released / Greater Union Distributors )
Stephen King's Cat's Eye - ( Our Girl / 1985 / Released / )
Firestarter - ( Charlie McGee / 1984 / Released / UIP The Film Consortium )
Irreconcilable Differences - ( Casey Brodsky / 1984 / Released / )
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - ( Gertie / 1982 / Released / UIP The Film Consortium )
Altered States - ( Margaret Jessup / 1980 / Released / )

Awards
People's Choice Award Favorite Leading Lady 2008
People's Choice Award Favorite On-Screen Chemistry "50 First Dates" 2005
ShoWest Award Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film 2005
MTV Movie Award Best On-Screen Team "50 First Dates" 2004
MTV Movie Award Best On-Screen Team "Charlie's Angels" 2001
ShoWest Award Comedy Star of the Year 2000
MTV Movie Award Best Kiss "The Wedding Singer" 1998

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