Diana Barrymore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Diana Barrymore
Barrymore in 1942
Born	Diana Blanche Barrymore Blythe (1921-03-03)March 3, 1921 New York City, U.S.
Died	January 25, 1960(1960-01-25) (aged 38) New York City, U.S.
Resting place	Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Alma mater	American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation	Stage and film actress
Years active	1939–1959
Spouse(s)	Bramwell Fletcher ​ ​ (m. 1942; div. 1946)​ John Robert Howard II ​ ​ (m. 1947; div. 1948)​ Robert Wilcox ​ ​ (m. 1950; died 1955)​
Parent(s)	John Barrymore Blanche Oelrichs
Family	Barrymore

Diana Barrymore (born March 3, 1921 – died January 25, 1960) was a famous American actress. She performed in both movies and on stage. She came from a well-known acting family.

Early Life and Family

Diana Blanche Barrymore Blythe was born in New York City. Her father was the famous actor John Barrymore. Her mother was a poet named Blanche Oelrichs.

Diana's parents divorced when she was four years old. She grew up in Paris and New York City. She did not have much contact with her father during her childhood.

Acting Career

Diana Barrymore and Robert Keith in Romantic Mr. Dickens (1940), Barrymore's Broadway debut

When Diana was a teenager, she decided to become an actress. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Because her family name, Barrymore, was so famous in theater, her start on stage got a lot of attention. She even appeared on the cover of Life magazine in 1939.

At age 19, Diana first appeared on Broadway. The next year, she acted in her first movie for Warner Bros.. In 1942, she signed a contract with Universal Studios. They promoted her heavily, calling her "1942's Most Sensational New Screen Personality."

After less than three years in Hollywood, Diana's movie career faced challenges. She had acted in six important films for Universal. Her financial situation also became difficult. When her mother passed away in 1950, Diana had very little left from her family's once large fortune.

Diana Barrymore in 1941

In 1949, Diana was offered her own TV talk show. It was called The Diana Barrymore Show. The show was ready to air, but Diana did not appear. The program was canceled right away. If she had done the show, it would have been the first talk show in TV history.

In the early 1950s, Diana and her third husband traveled to Australia. When they returned to the United States, she said she did not like the continent.

Later Years and Autobiography

In 1957, Diana wrote her life story in a book called Too Much, Too Soon. She got help from a writer named Gerold Frank. The book also included a painting of her by Spurgeon Tucker.

To promote her book, she appeared on Mike Wallace's TV show in July 1957. She talked about her life experiences. The next year, Warner Bros. made a movie based on her book. Dorothy Malone played Diana, and Errol Flynn played her father. However, the movie was not very popular with critics or moviegoers.

Personal Life and Passing

Diana Barrymore was married three times. Her first husband was actor Bramwell Fletcher. He had acted with her father in a movie called Svengali. Next, she married John Howard, who was a tennis player. Her last marriage was to actor Robert Wilcox.

Her marriage to Robert Wilcox ended in June 1955. He passed away from a heart attack at age 45 while traveling by train.

Diana Barrymore passed away on January 25, 1960. She is buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York. She rests next to her mother.

See also

In Spanish: Diana Barrymore para niños

• List of unsolved deaths

Film and Television Roles

Film Appearances

Television Appearances

• The Diana Barrymore Show (1949) (canceled)
• The Ed Sullivan Show (1950?)
• The Mike Wallace Interview (1957)
• New York Noir: Entertainment Press Conference (1957)
• The Ben Hecht Show (1958)
• Irv Kupcinet Show (1959)