Barrymore: The Spectacular, Tumultuous Life of America's Prince of Players

While many know the Barrymore name due to actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore, the family's rich legacy on the stage and screen dates back to the nineteenth century. Perhaps no one has understood the pressures of a family dynasty more keenly than John Barrymore, the youngest of patriarch Maurice Barrymore's three children.

Despite an increasingly successful career as an illustrator, John was fated to become an actor. He began in smaller productions, gradually developing into a comedy s...