Lionel Barrymore

Lionel Barrymore (born April 28, 1878, died November 15, 1954), original name: Lionel Blythe, was an American actor of stage, radio and film, elder brother of Ethel[?] and John Barrymore. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died in Van Nuys, California.

Barrymore made a name for himself on stage before going to Hollywood in 1924. He won an Oscar in 1931 for best actor in 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. 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, in It's a Wonderful Life, 1946.

Lionel Barrymore is interred in the Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California.

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street.

See also: Barrymore family