Lionel Barrymore | |
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![]() Barrymore c. 1910 | |
Born | Lionel Herbert Blyth April 28, 1878 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | November 15, 1954 (aged 76) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1893–1954 |
Political party | Republican |
Spouses | |
Children | 2 |
Parent(s) | Maurice Barrymore Georgiana Drew |
Family | Barrymore |
Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blyth; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director.[1] He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul (1931) and is 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 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's nine Dr Kildare films, a role he reprised in a further six films focusing solely on Gillespie and in a radio series titled The Story of Dr Kildare. He was a member of the theatrical Barrymore family.