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