Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Blythe) (April 28, 1878 - November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, radio and film. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the elder brother of Ethel and John Barrymore (John Barrymore was the grandfather of Drew Barrymore).
Barrymore made a name for himself on stage before going to Hollywood in 1924. He won an Oscar in 1931 for best actor in A Free Soul, after having been nominated in 1930 for best director for Madame X.
He played the irascible Doctor Gillespie in a series of Doctor Kildare and Doctor Gillespie movies in the 1930s and 1940s, and the title role in the 1940s radio series Mayor of the Town. Years later, after breaking his hip twice, he was confined to a wheelchair, but still acted. He is perhaps currently best known as Mr. Potter, the miserly banker and slumlord, in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Barrymore died from a heart attack on November 15, 1954, in Van Nuys, California), aged 76.
Lionel Barrymore is entombed in the Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street.
He is the grand-uncle of actress Drew Barrymore.
Key Largo (1948)
