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John Barrymore

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Actor

The Resume

    (February 14, 1882-May 29, 1942)
    Birth name was John Blyth
    Brother of Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore
    Grandfather of Drew Barrymore
    Acted in 'Grand Hotel,' 'Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde,' 'Sherlock Holmes,' 'Twentieth Century,' 'Rasputin and the Empress,' 'Don Juan,' 'The Sea Beast,' 'Romeo and Juliet'

Why he might be annoying:

    He squandered one of the greatest talents of the twentieth century on self-indulgence.
    He was married four times.
    He was an alcoholic who was so dependent on alcohol that when he couldn't get any, he would drink his wife's perfume.
    He disliked acting and wanted to be an artist.
    He was once woken up after a drunken spree by the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and when he tried to get information from a policeman, the policeman forced him to stack bricks for two days.
    When he played Hamlet on Broadway, it was expected that he would end the run at 99 out of respect for Edwin Booth's record of 100, but he played it for 101.
    He starred in 'Grand Hotel,' the only film to win the Best Picture Oscar that was not nominated in any other category.
    Despite being considered one of the finest actors in the world, he was never nominated for an Academy Award.
    When he failed to be nominated for an Oscar for 'Twentieth Century,' he said 'they all think I'd show up drunk, and I just might.'
    Cue cards were invented for him after his memory was so shot by alcohol that he couldn't remember to say lines like 'yes' and 'no.' He claimed he knew his lines, but like a tightrope walker, the cue card was his safety net.
    He had terrible personal hygiene and actresses who played opposite him complained about his body odor.
    He enjoyed profanity and his vocabulary overused such words as 'defecation,' 'eleemosynary,' 'expectoration,' 'glorious' and 'wonderful.'
    'He called woman 'cunts' or 'twittering vaginas.'
    He call his buddies 'shits.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    At fifteen, he was seduced by his stepmother, Mamie Floyd.
    His nickname was 'The Profile.'
    He said: 'Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?'
    His stage performances of Hamlet and Richard III are considered two of the major theatrical achievements of the 20th century.
    He made an easy transition from silent movies to sound.
    There is legend that his friends (including W.C. Fields) were so despondent at his death that they stole his body to have a final drink with him.
    His left profile was so striking that he was known as 'The Great Profile.'
    He was the subject of a Tony award winning one man show.

Credit: Jon Mullich


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 11 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 39 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 86 Votes: 43.02% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 718 Votes: 45.54% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 46 Votes: 69.57% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 84 Votes: 44.05% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 89 Votes: 50.56% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 44 Votes: 52.27% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 71 Votes: 39.44% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 41 Votes: 56.10% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 82 Votes: 56.10% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 155 Votes: 57.42% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 237 Votes: 55.27% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 285 Votes: 58.60% Annoying
    In 2003, Out of 593 Votes: 58.01% Annoying
    In 2002, Out of 2542 Votes: 39.73% Annoying