Drew Barrymore Biography

Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975 in Culver City, California) is an American film and television actress and producer.

She is the granddaughter of stage actor John Barrymore, and the great-niece of Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore. Her father, John Drew Barrymore, and half-brother, John Blyth, are also actors (although they haven't experienced the critical or commercial success the other Barrymores have enjoyed). "Drew" was the maiden name of her great-grandmother, Georgiana; "Blythe" was the original surname of the dynasty founded by her great-grandfather, Maurice. Drew's mother is Hungarian-born actress and model, Ildiko Jaid Mako (b. 1944).

Barrymore's career began at the age of 11 months, when she appeared in a dog food commercial. When she was bitten by her canine co-star, the producers feared litigation, though Barrymore merely laughed the incident off. She shot to fame as a child actor when she co-starred in the 1982 Steven Spielberg film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. At the age of 7, on November 20, 1982, Barrymore became the youngest ever guest host of the weekly TV program Saturday Night Live. She performed in a skit where she revealed that she had killed E.T..

In the wake of this sudden stardom, she endured a notoriously troubled childhood, drinking alcoholic beverages by the time she was 9, smoking marijuana at 10, and snorting cocaine at 12. Barrymore later described this early period of her life in her 1990 autobiography, Little Girl Lost. Though overcoming her substance abuse problems by the time she entered adulthood, Barrymore maintained her "bad girl" image, and in fact leveraged her new found role as a sex symbol to stage a career comeback in the 1990s, playing a teenage seductress in Poison Ivy, and posing nude for the January 1995 issue of U.S. magazine Playboy. Steven Spielberg, Barrymore's godfather, gave her a quilt for her 20th birthday with a note that read "Cover yourself up". Enclosed was a copy of her Playboy appearance, with the pictures altered by his art department so that she appeared fully clothed. At that time she had also appeared nude in her last five movies. During a 1995 appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, Barrymore shocked the normally unflappable host by climbing onto his desk and flashing her breasts at him (but with her back to the camera), as part of a dance for his birthday. She also modelled in a series of Guess? jeans advertisements during this time.

Barrymore has continued to be a highly bankable movie actress. She is especially adept at romantic comedies; popular examples of her work include The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates. Though her playful sex appeal has undoubtedly helped her remain in the media spotlight, she has also established a substantial career behind the scenes, despite never finishing high school. She has produced several films, including the highly successful Charlie's Angels movie adaptation and its sequel. She has also recently explored more dramatic roles in movies such as Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and the cult favorite Donnie Darko, of which she was also the executive producer. Barrymore has started to receive more notice both as a serious actress and a savvy Hollywood "player", though without losing her reputation as a sex symbol and (occasional) hellraiser.