Posted May 25, 201015 yr Born on April 12, 1878 in Philadelphia. Lionel is best known for his role as Henry Potter in 1946's It's a Wonderful Life". He was the son of actors Georgiana Drew and Maurice Barrymore, elder brother of Ethel and John Barrymore, uncle of John Drew Barrymore and great uncle of Drew Barrymore. He began his stage career in the mid 1890's. And in his early 20's he appeared on Broadway. He moved to Hollywood in 1911 and started acting in silent films.. Lionel had 2 daughters-Ethel and Mary, neither survived infancy. He bacame a father figure to Jean Harlow who was born around the same time as his daughters. When she passed away he was devestated and mourned her as his own daughter. Lionel won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1931's A Free Soul. He passed away in Van Nuys on Nov. 18, 1954 of a heart attack.
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