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Ethel Barrymore 1879 - 1959

Ethel Barrymore was born on August 15, 1879 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania United States, and died at age 79 years old on June 18, 1959 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California. Ethel Barrymore was buried at Calvary Cemetery and Mortuary 4201 Whittier Boulevard, in Los Angeles.

Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Mae Blythe

August 15, 1879

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States

June 18, 1959

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States

Female

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Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (1879 - 1959)

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Ethel Barrymore's History: 1879 - 1959

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Introduction

Ethel Mae Blythe (stage name Ethel Barrymore) was the 2nd child of Maurice Barrymore (real name Herbert Blythe) and Georgiana Drew. Her brothers were John and Lionel Barrymore. The whole family, for generations, have been actors: Drew Barrymore is her great niece. Her grandmother was an actress and theater manager - Louisa Lane Drew. Her uncle was John Drew Jr, a Broadway matinee idol and another uncle was Sidney Drew, a stage and screen star. She was born and raised in Philadelphia but her family did live in London UK for a couple of years when she was 5. They returned to the US in 1886. When her mother died at the age of 37, Ethel and Lionel were forced to go to work so they didn't finish high school. (Younger brother John went to live with their grandmother.) Ethel began her career on Broadway in a play that starred her uncle John Drew Jr and her career began. She worked continuously until 1957, just a couple of years before her death. Ethel married Russell Grisworld Colt (1882 - 1960) on March 14, 1908. They had 3 children (Samuel "Sammy', Ethel, and John). All were involved in some aspect of show business. It was a tumultuous marriage with accusations of infidelity (on Russell's part) and they divorced in 1923. Ethel never remarried, perhaps because she was a devout Catholic. Scroll down to read her obituary from The Washington Post.
08/15

1879

Birthday

August 15, 1879

Birthdate

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania United States

Birthplace

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Ethnicity & Family History

Caucasian
Nationality & Locations

United States
Early Life & Education

Catholic schools
Religious Beliefs

Roman Catholic
Professional Career

Actress (stage, movies, and radio) Called "The First Lady of the American Theatre"
Personal Life & Family

Ethel Barrymore Theater on Broadway is named after her.
06/18

1959

Death

June 18, 1959

Death date

cardiovascular disease

Cause of death

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California United States
Death location

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Gravesite & Burial

mm/dd/yyyy
Funeral date
Calvary Cemetery and Mortuary 4201 Whittier Boulevard, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California 90023, United States
Burial location
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22 Memories, Stories & Photos about Ethel

AncientFaces

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01/11/2012

Ethel Barrymore

A photo of Ethel Barrymore, actress. Sister of John Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore, great aunt of Drew Barrymore. Known as the "First Lady of the American Theater" Even her parents were well-known actors.

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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[Head-and-shoulders portrait of actress Ethel Barrymore,...

AncientFaces

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01/09/2012

[Head-and-shoulders portrait of actress Ethel Barrymore,...

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

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Kathy Pinna

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11/15/2020

Obituary from The Washington Post

Ethel Barrymore Colt, 65, Of Noted Acting Dynasty
Ethel Barrymore Colt, 65, daughter of the late Ethel Barrymore and an actress and singer in her own right, died Sunday in New York City.

A member of the ninth generation of the famous acting family, she had found it difficult in her earlier years to make good because of her name.

Her first stage role came at the age of 18, when she appeared with her mother in "Scarlet Sister Mary." The critics were not kind to her. She felt they expected too much of her.

Miss Colt then toured the country, playing one-night stands for five years in order to learn stagecraft and acting. At one point, she even used an alias, Louisa Kinlock, to be sure the plaudits she was receiving were for her own ability and not because she was a Barrymore.

She proved herself a versatile and talented singer, actress and producer, playing dramatic roles on Broadway and in summer stock and singing in grand opera, operetta, musical comedy and on the concert stage.

She made her operetta debut in 1944, singing the lead in a New York City Center production of "Martha." She gave concerts in this country and abroad and appeared in Washington with her mother at the National Theater. She also had sung with the Washington Opera Company.

Miss Colt, however, considered her greatest accomplishment to be her lasting marriage to petroleum and mining executive John Romeo Miglietta.

They were married during World War II. In addition to pursuing her career, she devoted much of her time to being a wife and a mother to their son, John Miglietta, now an actor. Her husband died in 1975.

In an interview with The Washington Post in 1968, Miss Colt said of her mother:

"She was the greatest woman I ever knew, nine times bigger than life."

Miss Colt added that she was proud of what she had accomplished, whether because of or despite Ethel Barrymore's huge shadow.

She also said her uncle, the late Lionel Barrymore, appeared to be a "misanthrope" who had "very few human contacts."

Of her other uncle, the late John Barrymore, she added: "He was terribly human, outgoing, witty and gay. As an actor, Uncle Jack was always ahead of his time, a symbol of modernism."

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