Lionel Barrymore

Born: 1878-04-28 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Died: 1954-11-15

Known For: Acting

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.

Filmography

2008

Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It with You as Self (archive footage)

2005

Irving Thalberg: Prince of Hollywood as Self (archive footage)

2004

Checking Out: Grand Hotel as Self / Various roles (archive footage)

2003

Complicated Women as Self (archive footage)
The Mesmerist as The Innkeeper (archive footage)

1976

That's Entertainment, Part II as (archive footage)
Hooray for Hollywood as Self (archive footage)

1974

That's Entertainment! as (archive footage) (uncredited)

1972

Hollywood: The Dream Factory as Self (archive footage)

1970

Brasileiros em Hollywood as Self (archive footage)

1956

Our Mr. Sun as Father Time (voice)

1955

MGM Parade
Film Fun as (archive footage)

1953

Main Street to Broadway as Self
Yesterday and Today as (archive footage)

1952

Lone Star as Andrew Jackson

1951

Bannerline as Hugo Trimble
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Story as Himself - Giving Introduction

1950

Right Cross as Sean O'Malley
Screen Actors as Self (uncredited)

1949

Malaya as John Manchester
Breakdowns of 1949 as Self
Down to the Sea in Ships as Bering Joy
Some of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Motion Picture Leadership as Himself

1948

The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
Key Largo as James Temple

1947

The Way of the World as Grizzley Fallon (Archive Footage)
Dark Delusion as Dr. Leonard Gillespie

1946

It's a Wonderful Life as Mr. Potter
Duel in the Sun as Sen. Jackson McCanles
Three Wise Fools as Dr. Richard Gaunght
The Secret Heart as Dr. Rossiger

1945

The Valley of Decision as Pat Rafferty
Between Two Women as Dr. Leonard Gillespie

1944

A Guy Named Joe as The General
Twenty Years After as (archive footage)
Dragon Seed as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Since You Went Away as Clergyman
3 Men in White as Dr. Leonard Gillespie

1943

Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
The Last Will and Testament of Tom Smith as Gramps

1942

Tennessee Johnson as Thaddeus Stevens
Calling Dr. Gillespie as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
Dr. Kildare's Victory as Dr. Leonard Gillespie

1941

Lady Be Good as Judge Murdock
Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
The Penalty as 'Grandpop' Logan
The People Vs. Dr. Kildare as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
The Bad Man as Uncle Henry Jones

1940

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards as Self (archive footage)
Dr. Kildare's Crisis as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound as Self
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
Dr. Kildare Goes Home as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
Hollywood: Style Center of the World as Self
The Stars Look Down as Narrator (U.S. release only) (voice)

1939

On Borrowed Time as Julian Northrup aka Gramps
Land of Liberty as (archive footage)
The Secret of Dr. Kildare as Leonard Gillespie
Let Freedom Ring as Thomas Logan
Calling Dr. Kildare as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
From the Ends of the Earth as Self
The Movies March On as Self (segment The New York Hat) (archive footage)

1938

You Can't Take It with You as Martin Vanderhof
Test Pilot as Howard B. Drake
Young Dr. Kildare as Dr. Leonard Gillespie
A Yank at Oxford as Dan Sheridan
A Fireside Chat with Lionel Barrymore as Self
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12 as Lionel Barrymore

1937

Captains Courageous as Captain Disko Troop
Saratoga as Grandpa Clayton
A Family Affair as Judge Hardy
Navy Blue and Gold as Captain 'Skinny' Dawes

1936

Camille as Monsieur Duval
The Gorgeous Hussy as Andrew Jackson
The Devil-Doll as Paul Lavond
The Voice of Bugle Ann as Springfield Davis
The Road to Glory as Papa La Roche / Pvt. Morin

1935

Mark of the Vampire as Professor Zelin
The Little Colonel as Colonel Lloyd
David Copperfield as Dan Peggotty
Ah, Wilderness! as Nat Miller
Public Hero Number 1 as Dr. Josiah Glass
The Return Of Peter Grimm as Peter Grimm

1934

Treasure Island as Billy Bones
Carolina as Bob Connelly
This Side of Heaven as Martin Turner
The Girl from Missouri as T.R. Paige

1933

Dinner at Eight as Oliver Jordan
The Stranger's Return as Grandpa Cyrus Tatum Storr
Night Flight as Robineau
Looking Forward as Tim Benton
Sweepings as Daniel Pardway
One Man's Journey as Eli Watt
Christopher Bean as Dr. Milton Haggett
Should Ladies Behave as Augustus Merrick

1932

Grand Hotel as Otto Kringelein
Arsène Lupin as Detective Guerchard
The Movie Album as (archive footage)
Rasputin and the Empress as Grigori Rasputin
Broken Lullaby as Dr. H. Holderlin
The Washington Masquerade as Jefferson "Jeff" Keane

1931

Mata Hari as General Serge Shubin
Ten Cents a Dance ... (Director)
The Yellow Ticket as Baron Igor Andreeff
Guilty Hands as Richard Grant
A Free Soul as Stephen Ashe
The Christmas Party as Himself (uncredited)

1930

Free and Easy as Bedroom Scene
The Sea Bat ... (Director)
The Rogue Song ... (Director)
Redemption ... (Director)
Estrellados as Self (Guest Appearance)
Si l'empereur savait ça ... (Music)

1929

The Hollywood Revue of 1929 as Self - Director of 'Romeo and Juliet' (uncredited)
The Unholy Night ... (Director)
The Mysterious Island as Andre Dakkar
His Glorious Night ... (Music)
Madame X ... (Director)

1928

Road House as Henry Grayson
Drums of Love as Duke Cathos de Alvia
Alias Jimmy Valentine as Doyle
Sadie Thompson as Alfred Davidson
West of Zanzibar as Crane
The Lion and the Mouse as John Ryder
The River Woman as Bill Lefty

1927

The Show as The Greek
Women Love Diamonds as Hugo Harlan
Body and Soul as Dr. Leyden
The Thirteenth Hour as Prof. Leroy

1926

Wife Tamers as Mr. Barry
The Barrier as Stark Bennett
The Bells as Mathias
The Lucky Lady as Count Ferranzo
The Temptress as Canterac
Brooding Eyes as Slim Jim Carey
Paris at Midnight as Vautrin

1925

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)
Fifty-Fifty as Frederick Harmon
A Man of Iron as Philip Durban
The Wrongdoers as Daniel Abbott
Children of the Whirlwind as Joe Ellison
The Splendid Road as Dan Clehollis
The Woman Who Did as Allan Merrick
The Girl Who Wouldn't Work as Gordon Kent

1924

Decameron Nights as Saladin
I Am the Man as James McQuade
America as Capt. Walter Butler
Meddling Women as Edwin Ainsworth / John Wells (duel role)

1923

Enemies of Women as Prince Lubimoff
Unseeing Eyes as Conrad Dean
The Eternal City as Baron Bonelli

1922

Boomerang Bill as Boomerang Bill
The Face in the Fog as Boston Blackie Dawson

1921

Jim the Penman as James Ralston
The Great Adventure as Priam Farll

1920

The Copperhead as Milt Shanks
The Master Mind as Henry Allen
The Devil's Garden as William Dale

1917

National Red Cross Pageant
His Father's Son as J. Dabney Barro
The Millionaire's Double as Bide Bennington
The End of the Tour as Byron Bennett
Life's Whirlpool ... (Director)

1916

The Upheaval as Jim Gordon
The Brand of Cowardice as Cyril Hamilton
Dorian's Divorce as Richard Dorian
The Quitter as Happy Jack Lewis

1915

Dora Thorne as Lord Earle
A Modern Magdalen as Lindsay
The Romance of Elaine as Marcus Del Mar / Mr. X
The Flaming Sword as Steve
A Yellow Streak as Barry Dale
The Curious Conduct of Judge Legarde as Judge Randolph Legarde
Wildfire as John Keefe

1914

Strongheart as Billy Saunders
Classmates as Bubby Dumble
Judith of Bethulia as Extra (uncredited)
Men and Women as Stephen Rodman / Robert Stevens
Under the Gaslight as William Byke
The Woman in Black as Robert Crane
The Seats of the Mighty as Monsieur Doltaire
Her Father's Silent Partner
The Cracksman's Gratitude
The Exploits of Elaine
The Span of Life as Richard Blunt
The Bartered Crown as The Landlord
The Power of the Press as Steve Carson
Woman Against Woman as Gilbert Craven

1913

Pa Says as Teddy's Rival
Three Friends as Second Friend
The Mirror as Daisy's Father
The Well as The Farmer
Oil and Water as The Idealist's Friend
Just Gold as The Stay-at-Home Brother
His Secret ... (Director)
The Suffragette Minstrels as (unconfirmed)
Almost a Wild Man as In Audience (uncredited)
A Misunderstood Boy as The Father
Red Hicks Defies the World as The Referee
The House of Discord as The Husband
The Ranchero's Revenge as The Ranchero
The Vengeance of Galora
A Gamble with Death as Jim Benton, the Bartender
So Runs the Way
The Stolen Treaty as The Japanese Diplomat
The Wanderer as The Male Lover
Death's Marathon as The Financial Backer
The Wrong Bottle as The Father
I Was Meant for You as Lavina's Father
The Crook and the Girl as The Nephew
The Perfidy of Mary as Mary's Father
In Diplomatic Circles as The Japanese Ambassador
The Telephone Girl and the Lady as The Desk Sergeant
The Tender Hearted Boy as (uncredited)
The Sheriff's Baby as Third Bandit
Under the Shadow of the Law as Charles Darnton - the Employer
The House of Darkness as The Doctor
Love in an Apartment Hotel as In Hotel Lobby
The Enemy's Baby as Postmaster Ben Brown
Near To Earth as Gato
The Unwelcome Guest as At Auction (uncredited)
An Indian's Loyalty as The Cattle Buyer
The Yaqui Cur as The Easterner
The Lady and the Mouse as The Father
The Strong Man's Burden as John - the Elder Brother
The Little Tease as In Bar
A Chance Deception as 2nd Policeman
An Adventure in the Autumn Woods as The Father
Fate as Father, Loving Family
The Switchtower as First Counterfeiter
The Work Habit as The Father
All for Science as Detective
A Timely Interception as Uncle James - The Farmer's Brother

1912

Brutality as At Wedding
The One She Loved as The Neighbor
So Near, Yet So Far as In Club
Gold and Glitter as The Lover
The Painted Lady as At Ice Cream Festival
The Informer as Union Soldier
My Baby as At table
The New York Hat as Minister
A Cry for Help as The Tramp
Friends as Grizzley Fallon - Dandy Jack's Friend
The Musketeers of Pig Alley as The Musician's Friend
Heredity as Woodsman
The Burglar’s Dilemma as The Householder
The Chief's Blanket as The Young Man
My Hero
The God Within as The Woman of the Camp's Lover

1911

The Battle as Wagon Driver (uncredited)
Fighting Blood
The Miser's Heart as Jules - the Thief

1905

The White Caps