Drew Barrymore Biography - Drew Barrymore Childhood, Drew Berrymore Profile

Born On: February 22, 1975

Born In: Culver City, California, US

Career: Hollywood Actress and Film Producer

Nationality: American

Drew Barrymore is a popular Hollywood actress and film producer. American by origin, she belongs to a famous family of actors, who have made significant contribution to the world cinema. The talented actress is a Saturn Award winner for Best Actress for the film, Ever After (1998) and a Golden Globe nominee. She even has her own production company, ‘Flower Films’, which was founded in 1999. Barrymore made her onscreen début in 1980 with the film, Altered States and shot to fame with her breakout role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Thus, she became one of Hollywood's most recognized child actresses, who later established herself in comic roles.

Early Life

The actress was born as Drew Blyth Barrymore on February 22, 1975, in Culver City in California, US. Her first name, Drew, was the maiden name of her paternal great-grandmother, Georgiana Drew; while her middle name, Blyth, was the original surname of the clan founded by her great-grandfather, Maurice Barrymore. Her father John Drew Barrymore was an American actor while her mother Ildiko Jaid Barrymore was an aspiring actress, born to Hungarian World War II refugees. Soon after birth, her parents got divorced, giving her an acting family in legacy.

She has two half-sisters, Blyth Dolores Berrymore and Brahma (Jessica) Blyth Barrymore, while her half brother John Blyth Barrymore is also an actor. Moreover, her paternal great-great-grandfather, John Drew, was an Irish-born actor, who immigrated to the US, in the 19th Century. Amongst all the significant actors in the family, her grandfather John Barrymore was considered to be one of the finest actors of his generation. For her further affiliations, she is the grand-niece of Ethel Barrymore, who was once proposed by Winston Churchill. She is also the god-daughter of blockbuster director, Steven Speilberg.

Film Career and Success

Barrymore stated her career in a very unusual manner. She faced the camera for the first time at a tender age of mere eleven months. She was being auditioned for a dog food commercial, when the canine co-star bit her. While the producers were afraid that the little girl would create hue and cry, the little actress just laughed, putting everybody around in amazement. Thus, she was signed for the commercial. She made her film debut at the age of five in 1980, with the film Altered States.

In 1982, she played the role of Gertie, the adorable little sister in E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, directed by Steven Speilberg. The role gave her immense success, making her popular. She even appeared on NBC's The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, thereby winning the acclaim of being the youngest-ever host of Saturday Night Live. In 1984, she featured in the film, Irreconcilable Differences, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Downfall

The flourishing career of the actress suddenly experienced a downslide, which was the outcome of her immediate stardom. She regularly visited the famed Studio 54 and fell prey to vicious addictions. The little Barrymore began smoking at the age of nine and started consuming alcohol when she was eleven. By twelve, she was smoking marijuana and snorting cocaine at thirteen. For this reason, she was put in rehab twice at the age of thirteen and fourteen. Her throbbing nightlife and incessant parties became very popular with the media.

Comeback

After enduring an extremely troubled childhood, Drew Barrymore made her comeback with the film Poison Ivy in 1992. The film featured her in an evil teenage seductress role, giving her a new identity of a sex symbol. At the age of 17, she started cashing on her novel persona, thereby posing nude for the July issue of ‘Interview’ magazine with her then fiancé, actor Jamie Walters. She even went nude for the for the January issue of ‘Playboy’ magazine. In effect, her god father Steven Speilberg sent her a quilt on her 20^th birthday, stating ‘Cover yourself up’. After this she starred nude for five more films and even modeled for Guess? Jeans ad.

Return to Fame

Drew Barrymore once again shot to fame with her horror film Scream in 1996. Following this, she gave a number of hit films, most of which were romantic comedies. Apart from this, she has even produced several films including Charlie's Angels, which was a box office blockbuster of 2000. On February 3, 2004, Barrymore finally received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, impregnating her presence in the history of world cinema. Her recent ventures include Lucky You (2007) and Music and Lyrics (2007).

She even hosted Saturday Night Live recently, for the fifth time, becoming the second actress to do so after Candice Bergen. Drew Barrymore enjoyed a worldwide box office gross of $2.3 billion as she became one of the actresses with second highest salary per movie in 2006. In April 2007, Barrymore was spotted at No.1 in People's annual 100 Most Beautiful People list. In May 2007, Barrymore became the Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme and on March 3, 2008, donated $1 million to the Programme. In June 2007, she became the new face for Gucci’s jewelry line.

Personal Life

Barrymore married Welsh bartender turned bar owner, Jeremy Thomas on March 20, 1994 and separated on April 28 in the same year. Subsequently, she married comedian Tom Green on July 7, 2001, after which Green filed for divorce in December 2001, finally separating in October 15, 2002. In 2003, Drew Barrymore announced that she considered herself bisexual; following which, in March 2007, former magazine editor Jane Pratt claimed on her Sirius Satellite Radio show that she had a romance with Barrymore in mid 1990s. Currently, the actress is dating Justin Long.

Filmography

1980 - Altered States

1982 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

1984 - Firestarter, Irreconcilable Differences

1985 - Cat's Eye

1986 - Babes in Toyland

1989 - See You In The Morning, Far From Home

1991 - Motorama

1992 - Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Poison Ivy, Guncrazy

1993 - The Amy Fisher Story, No Place to Hide, Doppelganger, Wayne's World 2

1994 - Inside the Goldmine, Bad Girls

1995 - Boys on the Side, Mad Love, Batman Forever