Lionel Barrymore

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Born

1878-04-28

Place of Birth

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
IMDb

Lionel Barrymore

Biography

Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul (1931), and remains best known to modern audiences for the role of villainous Mr. Potter in Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. He is also particularly remembered as Ebenezer Scrooge in annual broadcasts of A Christmas Carol during his last two decades. He is also known for playing Dr. Leonard Gillespie in MGM's nine Dr. Kildare films, a role he reprised in a further six films focusing solely on Gillespie and in a radio series entitled The Story of Dr. Kildare. He was a member of the theatrical Barrymore family.

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Acting History

2008
Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It With You as Self (archive footage)
2004
Checking Out: Grand Hotel as Self / Various roles (archive footage)
2003
The Mesmerist as The Innkeeper (archive footage)
2003
Complicated Women as Self (archive footage)
2002
D.W. Griffith - Years of Discovery 1909-1913
1987
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life as Self (archive footage)
1986
Super Duper Bloopers as Self
1976
That's Entertainment, Part II as (archive footage)
1976
Hooray for Hollywood as Self (archive footage)
1974
That's Entertainment! as (archive footage) (uncredited)
1972
Hollywood: The Dream Factory as Self (archive footage)
1956
Our Mr. Sun as Father Time (voice)
1955
Film Fun as (archive footage)
1953
Yesterday and Today as (archive footage)
1953
Main Street to Broadway as Self
1952
Lone Star as Andrew Jackson
1951
Bannerline as Hugo Trimble
1951
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Story as Himself - Giving Introduction
1950
Right Cross as Sean O'Malley
1950
Screen Actors as Self (uncredited)
1949
Breakdowns of 1949 as Self
1949
Malaya as John Manchester
1949
Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership as Himself
1949
Down to the Sea in Ships as Bering Joy
1949
A Guy Named Joe as The General
1948
Key Largo as James Temple
1948
The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
1947
Dark Delusion as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1947
The Way of the World as Grizzley Fallon (Archive Footage)
1946
Duel in the Sun as Sen. Jackson McCanles
1946
The Secret Heart as Dr. Rossiger
1946
It's a Wonderful Life as Mr. Potter
1946
Three Wise Fools as Dr. Richard Gaunght
1945
The Valley of Decision as Pat Rafferty
1945
Between Two Women as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1944
Dragon Seed as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1944
Since You Went Away as Clergyman
1944
3 Men in White as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1944
Twenty Years After as (archive footage)
1943
The Last Will and Testament of Tom Smith as Gramps
1943
Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1942
Tennessee Johnson as Thaddeus Stevens
1942
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1942
Calling Dr. Gillespie as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1942
Dr. Kildare's Victory as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1941
Lady Be Good as Judge Murdock
1941
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1941
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1941
The Bad Man as Uncle Henry Jones
1941
The Penalty as 'Grandpop' Logan
1940
Dr. Kildare's Crisis as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1940
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound as Self
1940
Dr. Kildare Goes Home as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1940
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards as Self (archive footage)
1940
Hollywood: Style Center of the World as Self
1940
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1940
The Stars Look Down as Narrator (U.S. release only) (voice)
1939
The Secret of Dr. Kildare as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1939
On Borrowed Time as Julian Northrup aka Gramps
1939
The Movies March On as Self (segment The New York Hat) (archive footage)
1939
Land of Liberty as (archive footage)
1939
From the Ends of the Earth as Self
1939
Calling Dr. Kildare as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1939
Let Freedom Ring as Thomas Logan
1938
A Fireside Chat with Lionel Barrymore as Self
1938
Young Dr. Kildare as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
1938
You Can't Take It with You as Martin Vanderhof
1938
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12 as Lionel Barrymore
1938
Test Pilot as Howard B. Drake
1938
A Yank at Oxford as Dan Sheridan
1937
Navy Blue and Gold as Captain 'Skinny' Dawes
1937
Saratoga as Grandpa Clayton
1937
Captains Courageous as Captain Disko Troop
1937
A Family Affair as Judge Hardy
1936
Camille as Monsieur Duval
1936
The Road to Glory as Papa La Roche / Pvt. Morin
1936
The Gorgeous Hussy as Andrew Jackson
1936
The Devil-Doll as Paul Lavond
1936
The Voice of Bugle Ann as Springfield Davis
1935
Ah, Wilderness! as Nat Miller
1935
The Return Of Peter Grimm as Peter Grimm
1935
Public Hero Number 1 as Dr. Josiah Glass
1935
Mark of the Vampire as Professor Zelin
1935
The Little Colonel as Colonel Lloyd
1935
David Copperfield as Dan Peggotty
1934
Treasure Island as Billy Bones
1934
The Girl from Missouri as T.R. Paige
1934
This Side of Heaven as Martin Turner
1934
Carolina as Bob Connelly
1933
Dinner at Eight as Oliver Jordan
1933
Should Ladies Behave as Augustus Merrick
1933
Christopher Bean as Dr. Milton Haggett
1933
Night Flight as Robineau
1933
One Man's Journey as Eli Watt
1933
The Stranger's Return as Grandpa Cyrus Tatum Storr
1933
Looking Forward as Tim Benton
1933
Sweepings as Daniel Pardway
1932
Rasputin and the Empress as Grigori Rasputin
1932
The Washington Masquerade as Jefferson "Jeff" Keane
1932
Grand Hotel as Otto Kringelein
1932
Arsène Lupin as Detective Guerchard
1932
Broken Lullaby as Dr. H. Holderlin
1931
Mata Hari as General Serge Shubin
1931
The Christmas Party as Himself (uncredited)
1931
The Yellow Ticket as Baron Igor Andreeff
1931
Guilty Hands as Richard Grant
1931
A Free Soul as Stephen Ashe
1930
Estrellados as Self (Guest Appearance)
1930
Free and Easy as Bedroom Scene
1929
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 as Self - Director of 'Romeo and Juliet' (uncredited)
1929
The Mysterious Island as Andre Dakkar
1928
The River Woman as Bill Lefty
1928
West of Zanzibar as Crane
1928
Alias Jimmy Valentine as Doyle
1928
Road House as Henry Grayson
1928
The Lion and the Mouse as John Ryder
1928
Drums of Love as Duke Cathos de Alvia
1928
Sadie Thompson as Alfred Davidson
1927
The Thirteenth Hour as Prof. Leroy
1927
Body and Soul as Dr. Leyden
1927
Women Love Diamonds as Hugo Harlan
1927
The Show as The Greek
1926
The Temptress as Canterac
1926
The Bells as Mathias
1926
The Lucky Lady as Count Ferranzo
1926
Paris at Midnight as Vautrin
1926
Wife Tamers as Mr. Barry
1926
The Barrier as Stark Bennett
1926
Brooding Eyes as Slim Jim Carey
1925
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
1925
The Splendid Road as Dan Clehollis
1925
The Woman Who Did as Allan Merrick
1925
Fifty-Fifty as Frederick Harmon
1925
The Wrongdoers as Daniel Abbott
1925
The Girl Who Wouldn't Work as Gordon Kent
1925
Children of the Whirlwind as Joe Ellison
1925
A Man of Iron as Philip Durban
1924
I Am the Man as James McQuade
1924
Meddling Women as Edwin Ainsworth / John Wells (duel role)
1924
America as Capt. Walter Butler
1924
Decameron Nights as Saladin
1923
The Eternal City as Baron Bonelli
1923
Unseeing Eyes as Conrad Dean
1923
Enemies of Women as Prince Lubimoff
1922
The Face in the Fog as Boston Blackie Dawson
1922
Boomerang Bill as Boomerang Bill
1921
Jim the Penman as James Ralston
1921
The Great Adventure as Priam Farll
1920
The Devil's Garden as William Dale
1920
The Master Mind as Henry Allen
1920
The Copperhead as Milt Shanks
1917
National Red Cross Pageant
1917
The Millionaire's Double as Bide Bennington
1917
His Father's Son as J. Dabney Barro
1917
The End of the Tour as Byron Bennett
1916
The Brand of Cowardice as Cyril Hamilton
1916
The Upheaval as Jim Gordon
1916
The Quitter as Happy Jack Lewis
1916
Dorian's Divorce as Richard Dorian
1915
A Yellow Streak as Barry Dale
1915
Dora Thorne as Lord Earle
1915
The Flaming Sword as Steve
1915
The Romance of Elaine as Marcus Del Mar / Mr. X
1915
The Curious Conduct of Judge Legarde as Judge Randolph Legarde
1915
A Modern Magdalen as Lindsay
1915
Wildfire as John Keefe
1914
The Exploits of Elaine
1914
The Seats of the Mighty as Monsieur Doltaire
1914
The Span of Life as Richard Blunt
1914
Under the Gaslight as William Byke
1914
The Woman in Black as Robert Crane
1914
The Power of the Press as Steve Carson
1914
Men and Women as Stephen Rodman / Robert Stevens
1914
The Cracksman's Gratitude
1914
Woman Against Woman as Gilbert Craven
1914
Judith of Bethulia as Extra (uncredited)
1914
Strongheart as Billy Saunders
1914
Her Father's Silent Partner
1914
Classmates as Bubby Dumble
1914
The Bartered Crown as The Landlord
1913
The House of Discord as The Husband
1913
All for Science as Detective
1913
So Runs the Way
1913
The Stolen Treaty as The Japanese Diplomat
1913
The Strong Man's Burden as John - the Elder Brother
1913
The Crook and the Girl as The Nephew
1913
The Work Habit as The Father
1913
The Suffragette Minstrels as (unconfirmed)
1913
An Indian's Loyalty as The Cattle Buyer
1913
Under the Shadow of the Law as Charles Darnton - the Employer
1913
I Was Meant for You as Lavina's Father
1913
The Vengeance of Galora
1913
The Mirror as Daisy's Father
1913
Pa Says as Teddy's Rival
1913
A Gamble with Death as Jim Benton, the Bartender
1913
In Diplomatic Circles as The Japanese Ambassador
1913
Almost a Wild Man as In Audience (uncredited)
1913
The Switchtower as First Counterfeiter
1913
Death's Marathon as The Financial Backer
1913
The Well as The Farmer
1913
The Enemy's Baby as Postmaster Ben Brown
1913
Red Hicks Defies the World as The Referee
1913
A Timely Interception as Uncle James - The Farmer's Brother
1913
The Ranchero's Revenge as The Ranchero
1913
Just Gold as The Stay-at-Home Brother
1913
The Yaqui Cur as The Easterner
1913
The House of Darkness as The Doctor
1913
The Wanderer as The Male Lover
1913
The Lady and the Mouse as The Father
1913
A Misunderstood Boy as The Father
1913
The Little Tease as In Bar
1913
The Perfidy of Mary as Mary's Father
1913
The Sheriff's Baby as Third Bandit
1913
Fate as Father, Loving Family
1913
Near To Earth as Gato
1913
The Unwelcome Guest as At Auction (uncredited)
1913
The Wrong Bottle as The Father
1913
Love in an Apartment Hotel as In Hotel Lobby
1913
A Chance Deception as 2nd Policeman
1913
Oil and Water as The Idealist's Friend
1913
The Tender Hearted Boy as (uncredited)
1913
An Adventure in the Autumn Woods as The Father
1913
The Telephone Girl and the Lady as The Desk Sergeant
1913
Three Friends as Second Friend
1912
The God Within as The Woman of the Camp's Lover
1912
A Cry for Help as The Tramp
1912
The Burglar’s Dilemma as The Householder
1912
My Hero
1912
The New York Hat as Minister
1912
Brutality as At Wedding
1912
The Informer as Union Soldier
1912
My Baby as At table
1912
Gold and Glitter as The Lover
1912
Heredity as Woodsman
1912
The Musketeers of Pig Alley as The Musician's Friend
1912
The Painted Lady as At Ice Cream Festival
1912
The One She Loved as The Neighbor
1912
The Chief's Blanket as The Young Man
1912
So Near, Yet So Far as In Club
1912
Friends as Grizzley Fallon - Dandy Jack's Friend
1911
The Miser's Heart as Jules - the Thief
1911
The Battle as Wagon Driver (uncredited)
1911
Fighting Blood
1905
The White Caps