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| Designations | |
|---|---|
Official name | Barrymores, The |
| Type | City |
| Criteria | Performers |
| Designated | October 1, 1996 |
Location | NW corner, N 6th & Arch Sts., Philadelphia 39°57′10″N 75°09′00″W / 39.95279°N 75.15013°W |
Marker text | "Three famous actors, Philadelphia-born, were the third generation of this 'Royal Family of the American Stage.' Lionel (1878–1954), Ethel (1879–1959), and John (1882–1942) performed on stage, screen, radio. Their grandparents, the Drews, managed the Arch Street Theatre here." |
Etymology | From the surname of actor William Barrymore |
The Barrymore family, and the related Drew family, form a British–American acting dynasty that traces its acting roots to the mid-19th-century London stage. After migrating across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, members of the family subsequently appeared in motion pictures, beginning with the silent film period of the 1890s to 1929 and then into the modern era of sound film.
The surname Barrymore originated with an actor named William Barrymore (c. 1759–1830). The related Drew family traces back to the Irish actor John Drew Sr. (1827–1862).
For the maternal Drew acting dynasty, see Drew family.
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre was opened in 1928, named for Ethel Barrymore. It is a Broadway theater at 243 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. A crater on the planet Venus is also named for Ethel.
In February 2010, an intersection in Fort Lee, New Jersey, was renamed John Barrymore Way on what would have been the actor's 128th birthday. The intersection marked the spot of the former Buckheister's Hotel, where Barrymore had his 1900 stage debut in "A Man of the World".