Maurice Barrymore facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maurice Barrymore
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Photo by W. M. Morrison
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| Born |
Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blyth
21 September 1849 |
| Died | 25 March 1905 (aged 55) Amityville, New York, U.S.
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| Resting place | Mount Vernon Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Actor, playwright |
| Years active | 1874–1901 |
| Spouse(s) |
Georgiana Drew
(m. 1876; died 1893)
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| Family | Barrymore |
Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blyth (born September 21, 1849 – died March 25, 1905) was a famous stage actor. He was born in India but was British. He is best known by his stage name, Maurice Barrymore. He was the start of a very famous acting family, the Barrymores. His children, John, Lionel, and Ethel, all became well-known actors too.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blyth was born in Amritsar, a city in what was then called British India. His father, William Edward Blythe, worked as a surveyor for the British East India Company. Herbert was the youngest of seven children. Sadly, his mother passed away shortly after he was born. He was raised by his aunt and other family members.
When he was older, Herbert was sent to England for his education. He went to Harrow School, which is a famous boarding school. Later, he studied law at Oxford University. While at Oxford, he was the captain of his class's football (soccer) team in 1868. He also loved boxing. He even won the middleweight boxing championship of England in 1872! Many of his friends later became famous sports figures, including boxers and wrestlers.
Herbert's father wanted him to become a lawyer. But Herbert discovered a love for acting. This was a bit shocking to his father at the time, as acting wasn't seen as a respectable job. To avoid bringing "shame" to his family, he decided to use a different name for his acting career. He chose the stage name Maurice Barrymore. He got the idea from an old English actor named William Barrymore. He wanted his new first name, Maurice, to be said the French way (Môr-ĒS). But his friends often just called him "Barry."
Career and Family Life
In 1874, Maurice Barrymore moved to the United States. He sailed to Boston and joined an acting group. He made his first appearance on Broadway in 1875 in a play called Pique. In that play, he met a young actress named Georgiana Drew. Her brother, John Drew Jr., had actually introduced them earlier.
Maurice and Georgiana fell in love and got married on December 31, 1876. They had three children who would all become famous actors: Lionel (born 1878), Ethel (born 1879), and John (born 1882). While Maurice and Georgiana were traveling for their acting jobs, their children often stayed with Georgiana's mother in Philadelphia. Maurice loved animals and even bought a farm on Staten Island in the 1890s to keep his collection of interesting animals.
Sadly, Georgiana passed away in 1893 after an illness. Maurice became a widower with three teenage children. A year later, he married Mamie Floyd.
A Play and a Claim
In 1884, Maurice Barrymore wrote a play called Nadjezda, which means "hope." He traveled to England with his wife and children to visit relatives. While there, he met the famous French actress Sarah Bernhardt. He gave her a copy of his play without officially protecting his ideas (copyrighting it).
Two years later, in 1886, a friend of Bernhardt's, Victorien Sardou, wrote a play called La Tosca. This play later became very famous as an opera. Maurice Barrymore believed that Bernhardt had given his play to Sardou and that La Tosca copied his ideas. He tried to stop another actress from performing La Tosca. However, in court, Bernhardt said she had never seen his play, and Sardou said he had been working on his play for many years. The court found that the main idea Maurice claimed was copied – a heroine making a difficult deal to save someone's life – was a common story idea, even used by Shakespeare.
Later Acting Years
In 1896, Maurice Barrymore became one of the first big Broadway stars to perform in vaudeville. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with different acts like comedy, music, and dance. Throughout his career, Maurice Barrymore acted alongside many leading actresses of his time. These included Helena Modjeska, Mrs. Fiske, Mrs. Leslie Carter, and Lillian Russell.
In 1895, he co-starred with Mrs. Leslie Carter in a play called The Heart of Maryland. In 1899, he had another successful role in Becky Sharp, a play based on a character from a famous novel. This was his last big success on Broadway. In 1900, he toured the U.S. with a play called The Battle of the Strong. During this time, he spent time with his son John, who was a teenager. His other children, Lionel and Ethel, had already started their own acting careers.
Death and Legacy
Maurice Barrymore passed away peacefully in his sleep in 1905. His daughter Ethel arranged for him to be buried in the family plot in Philadelphia. Later, his remains were moved to Mount Vernon Cemetery, where his first wife and her family are buried.
Maurice Barrymore was well-liked and remembered fondly. His death was reported in many newspapers across the country. He lived long enough to see all three of his children become actors, continuing the family's legacy in the theater.
In Memoriam
To honor his life, a narrative poem called "The Man Who Brought Royalty to America" was written in 2000 by Michael J. Farrand. This poem was based on a book about Maurice Barrymore's life.
Images for kids
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Maurice Barrymore in the mid-1890s.
