MAURICE BARRYMORE
Name: Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe
Born: 21 September 1849 Amritsar, Punjab, India
Died: 26 March 1905 Amityville, New York, U.S.
Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe (September 21, 1849 – March 26, 1905) is the
patriarch of the Barrymore acting family and great-grandfather of actress Drew
Barrymore.
Born Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe in Amritsar, Punjab or more precisely
Fort Agra, India, he was the son of William Edward Blythe, a surveyor for the
British East India Company and his wife Matilda Chamberlayne. Herbert had an
older brother named Will and a sister named Evelin. Matilda, after a difficult
pregnancy died shortly after giving birth to Herbert on September 21, 1849. In
his formative years Herbert was raised by his Aunt Amelia Blythe, his mother's
sister. Amelia, a Chamberlayne by birth, had married a brother of Herbert's
father and was a Blythe by marriage. Herbert was sent back to England for
education at Harrow School, England and studied Law at Oxford University where
he was Captain of his class football (soccer US) team in 1868. On March 21, 1872
he won the middleweight boxing championship of England. His father expected him
to become a barrister, but Herbert fell in with a group of actors, which
scandalized the elder Blyth. That same year 1872 Herbert sat for his first posed
theatrical photographic portrait by noted photographer Oliver Sarony. In order
to spare his father the "shame" of having a son in such a "dissolute" vocation,
he took the stage name Maurice Barrymore, inspired by a conversation he had with
fellow actor Charles Vandenhoff about William Barrymore, an early 19th-Century
English thespian after seeing a poster depicting Barrymore in the Haymarket
Theatre. He wanted his first name to be pronounced in the French manner (môr-ĒS)
instead of the English (MÔR-is). His friends avoided that altogether by simply
calling him "Barry".
On December 29, 1874 he boarded the SS America for Boston, and joined Augustin
Daly's troupe making his debut in Under the Gaslight.
He made his Broadway debut in December 1875 in Pique; in the cast was a young
actress, Georgiana Drew. They married on December 31, 1876, and had three
children: Lionel (b.1878), Ethel (b.1879), and John (b.1882). Georgiana died
July 2, 1893 from consumption, and Barrymore re-married exactly one year after
her death to Mamie Floyd much to Ethel's consternation. During his career,
Maurice Barrymore played opposite many stars of the time including Helena
Modjeska, Mrs. Fiske, Olga Nethersole, Lillian Russell, and Lily Langtry.
On March 19, 1879, in Marshall, Texas, he and fellow actor Ben Porter were shot
by an intoxicated Texas and Pacific Railway engineer named Jim Currie (who
shared a cell with the accused killer of Diamond Bessie). Porter was killed;
doctors spent the night operating on Barrymore to save his life. He made a full
recovery, and returned to Marshall for the legal maneuverings that followed.
Currie's brother was mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana and apparently used his
influence to secure a not guilty verdict (after a 10 minute deliberation). An
enraged Barrymore vowed never to return to Texas.
According to a 2004 A&E Biography piece, after the Ben Porter tragedy, Maurice
asked Georgiana to tour with him and Helena Modjeska in a play he had written.
Georgiana and the children had converted to Roman Catholicism under Helena's
influence. Learning that he and Helena had resumed their romance, Georgiana, who
had been given ownership of the play by Maurice, forced his hand by closing it.
Helena's husband, its producer, sued her. The real reason for Georgiana's
actions never got into the press. However, Maurice's many dalliances did make
the tabloids.
He eventually became infected with syphilis. The March 25, 1905 New York Times
reported: "He was playing a vaudeville engagement(in 1901) at a Harlem theatre
when he suddenly dropped his lines and began to rave. The following day he
became violent and was taken to Bellevue insane ward by his son John." He died
in his sleep, and was buried by his daughter Ethel at Glenwood Cemetery in
Philadelphia.
Name: Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe
Born: 21 September 1849 Amritsar, Punjab, India
Died: 26 March 1905 Amityville, New York, U.S.
Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe (September 21, 1849 – March 26, 1905) is the
patriarch of the Barrymore acting family and great-grandfather of actress Drew
Barrymore.
Born Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe in Amritsar, Punjab or more precisely
Fort Agra, India, he was the son of William Edward Blythe, a surveyor for the
British East India Company and his wife Matilda Chamberlayne. Herbert had an
older brother named Will and a sister named Evelin. Matilda, after a difficult
pregnancy died shortly after giving birth to Herbert on September 21, 1849. In
his formative years Herbert was raised by his Aunt Amelia Blythe, his mother's
sister. Amelia, a Chamberlayne by birth, had married a brother of Herbert's
father and was a Blythe by marriage. Herbert was sent back to England for
education at Harrow School, England and studied Law at Oxford University where
he was Captain of his class football (soccer US) team in 1868. On March 21, 1872
he won the middleweight boxing championship of England. His father expected him
to become a barrister, but Herbert fell in with a group of actors, which
scandalized the elder Blyth. That same year 1872 Herbert sat for his first posed
theatrical photographic portrait by noted photographer Oliver Sarony. In order
to spare his father the "shame" of having a son in such a "dissolute" vocation,
he took the stage name Maurice Barrymore, inspired by a conversation he had with
fellow actor Charles Vandenhoff about William Barrymore, an early 19th-Century
English thespian after seeing a poster depicting Barrymore in the Haymarket
Theatre. He wanted his first name to be pronounced in the French manner (môr-ĒS)
instead of the English (MÔR-is). His friends avoided that altogether by simply
calling him "Barry".
On December 29, 1874 he boarded the SS America for Boston, and joined Augustin
Daly's troupe making his debut in Under the Gaslight.
He made his Broadway debut in December 1875 in Pique; in the cast was a young
actress, Georgiana Drew. They married on December 31, 1876, and had three
children: Lionel (b.1878), Ethel (b.1879), and John (b.1882). Georgiana died
July 2, 1893 from consumption, and Barrymore re-married exactly one year after
her death to Mamie Floyd much to Ethel's consternation. During his career,
Maurice Barrymore played opposite many stars of the time including Helena
Modjeska, Mrs. Fiske, Olga Nethersole, Lillian Russell, and Lily Langtry.
On March 19, 1879, in Marshall, Texas, he and fellow actor Ben Porter were shot
by an intoxicated Texas and Pacific Railway engineer named Jim Currie (who
shared a cell with the accused killer of Diamond Bessie). Porter was killed;
doctors spent the night operating on Barrymore to save his life. He made a full
recovery, and returned to Marshall for the legal maneuverings that followed.
Currie's brother was mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana and apparently used his
influence to secure a not guilty verdict (after a 10 minute deliberation). An
enraged Barrymore vowed never to return to Texas.
According to a 2004 A&E Biography piece, after the Ben Porter tragedy, Maurice
asked Georgiana to tour with him and Helena Modjeska in a play he had written.
Georgiana and the children had converted to Roman Catholicism under Helena's
influence. Learning that he and Helena had resumed their romance, Georgiana, who
had been given ownership of the play by Maurice, forced his hand by closing it.
Helena's husband, its producer, sued her. The real reason for Georgiana's
actions never got into the press. However, Maurice's many dalliances did make
the tabloids.
He eventually became infected with syphilis. The March 25, 1905 New York Times
reported: "He was playing a vaudeville engagement(in 1901) at a Harlem theatre
when he suddenly dropped his lines and began to rave. The following day he
became violent and was taken to Bellevue insane ward by his son John." He died
in his sleep, and was buried by his daughter Ethel at Glenwood Cemetery in
Philadelphia.