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The Great Dictator

1940

Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.

Henry Daniell

Cast · Known for The Great Dictator

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Charles Henry Daniell (5 March 1894 – 31 October 1963) was an English actor who had a long and prestigious career on stage as well as in films. He is perhaps best known for his villainous roles in films like The Great Dictator, The Philadelphia Story and The Sea Hawk. Daniell was given few opportunities to play a 'good guy', including a supporting part as Franz Liszt in the biographical film Song of Love (1947). His last name is sometimes spelled "Daniel". Daniell's film debut came in 1929 in Jealousy. He appeared as Professor Moriarty in the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes film The Woman in Green (1945). He appeared in other films such as Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940) (playing Garbitsch, to sound like "garbage", a parody of Joseph Goebbels), and The Body Snatcher (1945, with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi) – as well as two other films in the Sherlock Holmes/Basil Rathbone series: The Voice of Terror (1942) and Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943) with fellow Moriarty George Zucco. Daniell played the sleazy Baron de Varville opposite Greta Garbo in Camille (1936). Another early triumph was his portrayal of Cecil in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939). He also played the treacherous Lord Wolfingham (no relation to Francis Walsingham) in The Sea Hawk (1940), fighting Errol Flynn in what is often considered one of the most spectacular sword fighting duels ever filmed. When Michael Curtiz cast him in this film, Henry Daniell initially refused because he couldn't fence. Curtiz accomplished the climactic duel through the use of shadows and over-shoulder shots, with a double fencing Flynn with ingenious inter-cutting of their faces. Towards the end of the Second World War, he appeared in one of his most memorable film roles, as the cruel Mr. Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre (1944), opposite Joan Fontaine who played Eyre. That same year he appeared in The Suspect as Charles Laughton's blackmailing next-door neighbour. In the 1950s and 1960s, he did much television, and also appeared as the malevolent Dr. Emil Zurich in Edward L. Cahn's The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959), and in an episode of Maverick, "Pappy" opposite James Garner the same year. An absolute professional, he was always on the set when needed, and impatient when delays in filming took place. Much in demand for his dry, sardonic delivery, Daniell moved easily from big-budget films, such as (uncredited) Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), to television without difficulty. In 1957, Daniell appeared as King Charles II of England in the NBC anthology series The Joseph Cotten Show in the episode "The Trial of Colonel Blood", with Michael Wilding in the title role. In the same year he played the instructing solicitor to Charles Laughton's leading counsel barrister in Witness for the Prosecution (1957). The actor claimed one of his favourite roles was as Tony Curtis' supervisor in the acclaimed Blake Edwards film Mister Cory (1957) at a time when the actor's career was clearly slowing down, but Daniell retained some of the best and most memorable lines in the movie, "A gentleman never grabs. Manners, Mister Cory. I find them a prerequisite in any circumstance."

Karl Struss

Cinematographer · Known for The Great Dictator

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Karl Struss, A.S.C. (November 30, 1886 – December 15, 1981) was an American photographer and a cinematographer of the 1900s through the 1950s. He was also one of the earliest pioneers of 3-D films. While he mostly worked on films, such as F. W. Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator and Limelight, he was also one of the cinematographers for the television series Broken Arrow and photographed 19 episodes of My Friend Flicka. In 1919, after his discharge from WWI, he moved to Los Angeles and signed on with Cecil B. DeMille as a cameraman, initially for the film For Better, For Worse starring Gloria Swanson, followed by another Swanson film Male and Female and leading to a two-year contract with the studio In early 1921, he married Ethel Wall, who helped to support him in his photographic work independent of the film studios, which included pictorial views set in California In the 1920s, Struss worked on such films as Ben-Hur and F. W. Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. In 1927, he contracted with United Artists, where he worked with D. W. Griffith on such films as Drums of Love and also filmed Mary Pickford's first talking film Coquette. He continued his experimental work with camera technology, developing the "Lupe Light" and a new bracket system for the Bell & Howell camera. From 1931 through 1945, Struss worked as a cameraman for Paramount, where he worked on a variety of material including films featuring Mae West, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour Struss also aimed to shape the field through publishing; for example, in 1934 he authored "Photographic Modernism and the Cinematographer" for American Cinematographer. Struss was later admitted to the American Society of Cinematographers, and was a founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts. In 1949, while working as a freelancer, he began his work in "stereo cinematography", becoming one of the first proponents of that art form. Unfortunately, he did most of his 3D film work in Italy and none of his films were subsequently released in 3D in the United States. Struss's photographic archive of exhibition prints, film stills, negatives and papers (3 linear feet of materials) is available at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art located in Fort Worth, Texas.

Paul Weigel

Cast · Known for The Great Dictator

German born Paul Weigel was an actor in American movies. He is perhaps best remembered for his performances in For Heaven's Sake (1926), The Invisible Ray (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940).

Reginald Gardiner

Cast · Known for The Great Dictator

Reginald Gardiner (27 February 1903 - 7 July 1980) was an English-born actor in film and television and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in Britain. He made his film debut in 1926 in the silent film The Lodger, by Alfred Hitchcock. Moving to Hollywood, he was cast in numerous roles, often as a British butler. One of his most famous roles was that of Schultz in Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. Toward the end of his career, Gardiner made increasing guest appearances on the leading television sitcoms of the 1960s, including Fess Parker's ABC series, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as the lead guest in the episode "Citizen Bellows". His last major role was alongside Phyllis Diller in her short-lived ABC sitcom The Pruitts of Southampton (1966-67).

Forest Whitaker

Cast · Known for Taken 3, Arrival, Black Panther

Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, producer, director, and activist. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his film debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Whitaker went on to earn a reputation for intensive character study work for films, such as Platoon (1986), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Bird (1988), The Crying Game (1992), Phenomenon (1996), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), The Great Debaters (2007), The Butler (2013), Arrival (2016), and Respect (2021). He has also appeared in blockbusters, such as Panic Room (2002), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) as Saw Gerrera, and Black Panther (2018) as Zuri. For his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the British historical drama film The Last King of Scotland (2006), Whitaker won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Whitaker made his directorial debut with the television film Strapped (1993), and directed the films Waiting to Exhale (1995), Hope Floats (1998), and First Daughter (2004). Apart from his film career, Whitaker is also known for his humanitarian work and activism. In 2011, he was inducted as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, later receiving a promotion to Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation, and serves as the CEO of Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI), a non-profit outreach program.

Sayed Badreya

Cast · Known for Iron Man

Egyptian-born film-maker and actor Sayed Badreya realized a childhood dream by winning roles in major Hollywood films such as The Insider, Three Kings, and Independence Day. Growing up in poverty in Port Said, Sayed Badreya's dreams of movie stardom looked as bleak as the prospect of peace in the Middle East. From the Six Day War in '67 through the Yom Kippur War in '73, his only escape from the world he knew was the movie theater, where films transported him to a magical land. But it was here that he determined he was destined to be a part of that magic. After attending New York University film school, and then moving to Hollywood, Sayed first worked in the film industry as an assistant to actor/director Anthony Perkins, and then with director James Cameron on True Lies. His mission - to make movies that told the Arabic- American story, since it had yet to be told - led to the creation of his own production company, Zoom In Focus. Under this banner, he directed and produced the documentary, Saving Egyptian Film Classics as well as The Interrogation, which won Best Creative Short Film at New York International Film Festival. He also produced and starred in Hesham Issawi's short, T for Terrorist, which was awarded Best Short Film at the Boston International Film Festival and the San Francisco World Film Festival. In 2007, he played his first leading role in the English language motion picture American East, a film that he also co-wrote. 2008 was Sayed Badreya's breakout year. He captivated audiences as Abu Bakaar, the villainous arms dealer who kidnaps Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in the summer's blockbuster Iron Man. Also that year, Sayed played the comedic Palestinian cab driver opposite Adam Sandler in You Don't Mess with the Zohan. This summer, Sayed can be seen in Paramount Pictures' feature film El traspatio aka Backyard, directed by Oscar-nominated Carlos Carrera in which he plays a serial killer opposite Ana de la Reguera. Sayed can also be seen this summer in Movie 43, where he plays opposite Halle Berry. Additional forthcoming films include The Three Stooges, his fifth film with the Farrelly brothers; The Dictator, playing Sascha Baron Cohen's father as the original Dictator, and Just Like a Woman, with Oscar nominated director Rachid Bouchareb. Also, Sayed is going to a new frontier in the new video game Uncharted 3, playing Ramses the Great Pirate Captain. Most recently he completed his second leading role in the New York independent feature, Cargo, about human traffickers, directed by Yan Vizinberg. And he just finished co-starring opposite Oscar-nominated actress Melissa Leo in film The Space Between, directed by Travis Fine. Sayed has also worked as an actor, Arabic dialect coach, and Islamic technical advisor on Path to 9/11, a $40 million mini-series about the events leading up to 9/11 produced by ABC/Touchstone. Sayed's efforts to bring attention to Arab-Americans in the motion picture industry have received much coverage over the years on radio, television, and in major publications around the world, such as The New York Times, GQ, NPR, ABC's "Politically Incorrect" with Bill Maher, BBC's "Panorama," CNN, "Fox Report with Shepard Smith", The Hollywood Reporter and Egypt Today.

The Waltons

1972

The Waltons live their life in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II.

The Meg

2018

A deep sea submersible pilot revisits his past fears in the Mariana Trench, and accidentally unleashes the seventy foot ancestor of the Great White Shark believed to be extinct.

The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World

2023

The Arnold Academy of Magic is a school for the elite...and Ray White is just your ordinary guy. In fact, he doesn't seem particularly skilled with magic at all, and is a bit of a klutz. Which is why he has nothing to do with the rumor that one of the great magicians, the Iceblade Sorcerer, is a member of the incoming class...right?

The Crown

2016

The gripping, decades-spanning inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain's post-war destiny. The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world – Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Two houses, two courts, one Crown.

Christopher Livingstone

Cast · Known for Route 187

Christopher Livingston was recently seen in The Great Society on Broadway and playing Wayne Williams on the Netflix series Mindhunter. At Roundabout Underground he was seen in Something Clean. Other New York credits include On the Grounds of Belonging, Party People, and The Urban Retreat at The Public Theater. He was also seen in Wilder Gone in Clubbed Thumb’s Summer Works, Julius Caesar at the Delacorte, Peerless at Cherry Lane and The Architecture of Becoming with Women's Project. Select regional theaters include The Williamstown Theatre Festival, Long Wharf, The McCarter, A.C.T., Yale Rep., Berkeley Rep, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Portland Center Stage and The Virginia Stage Company. Christopher received his BFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

Victoria Park

Cast · Known for The Flash

Victoria Park was born and raised in the great city of Chicago, and is a proud Bulls/Cubs/Bears/Hawks fan thank you very much. After graduating from Northwestern University (BA in Radio/TV/Film), she made the somewhat spur-of-the-moment decision to pack up her car, drive across the country, and make her home in the city of angels. After joining an acting class as a way to make friends (why not?), Victoria fell in love with the art and craft of acting and never looked back.

James Adam Tucker

James Adam Tucker's (Adam Tucker) roots are in the great Garden State of New Jersey, where his curiosity in acting began. Starting at a young age, James directed and filmed his siblings and cousins in skits he wrote. Today, James acting credits span over 30 years. A leading actor and guest star, known for his firm, authoritarian, yet gentle presence in such film and television productions as; Genius: MLK/X (2022), On the Come Up (2022), Wu Tang: An American SAGA (2022), as well as, Criminal Minds, The Mindy Project, Book Club, The Other Wife, and Training Day. James graduated from Morgan State University, a historically black college. He earned his BS in film and television production. Using his diverse experiences as an actor, director, and writer, James has produced over 50 feature films. His awards include best feature film in the Big Apple Film Festival and Key West Film Festival. His films and keen insight in spotting talent has been the launching pad for several working actors, including Morris Chestnut. He has also worked closely with many industry professionals over the years, such as Michael Goi, Mike Tristano, and Alex Diaz. Many of his films have been sold and are available on Netflix and Amazon.

Jeannine Oppewall

Production Design · Known for Catch Me If You Can, L.A. Confidential, The Good Shepherd

Jeannine Oppewall entered the film industry in the late 1970s after a six-year association with the great design innovators, Charles and Ray Eames. She worked as a set designer (Blue Collar, Blow Out, The Rose, Honky Tonk Freeway) before rising to the position of production designer in 1983 with Tender Mercies, the modestly budgeted ‘slice of life’ film, which brought Robert Duvall an Academy Award. For the next several years, Ms Oppewall designed an impressive variety of motion pictures for a diverse list of directors, many with international credentials. These range from the Russian Andrei Konchalovsky (Maria’s Lovers) and the Brazilian Hector Babenco (Ironweed), to include Costa-Gavras (The Music Box) and Luis Mandoki (White Palace). Other credits include Love Letters, The Big Easy, Rooftops, Wonder Boys and Sibling Rivalry. Other films for which she is known are Seabiscuit (starring Jeff Bridges), Catch Me if You Can (Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio), The Sum of All Fears (starring Morgan Freeman), and Robert DeNiro’s The Good Shepherd, released at the end of 2006. Claudia has received 4 Oscar Award nominations for her films and received the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Production Design, 1998 for Pleasantville. She also won the Art Directors’ Guild’s award for Excellence in Production Design for Catch Me If You Can, and was nominated for 5 others of her films for the same. She served on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 9 years and is currently the co-chairperson of its Museum Committee.

Jeremy Clyde

Clyde was born in the village of Dorney in the English county of Buckinghamshire and is the son of Lady Elizabeth Wellesley. Through his maternal line, Clyde is the great-great-great-grandson of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, and is a cousin of the current Duke of Wellington. Growing up, he was educated at two independent boarding schools in England: Ludgrove School, in Wokingham Without and Eton College in Eton. He also attended the University of Grenoble in Grenoble, France for one year. He would later go on to attend and graduate from the Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London where he studied acting. This is also where he met musical partner, Chad Stuart in 1960.

Red Skelton

The son of a former circus clown turned grocer and a cleaning woman, Red Skelton was introduced to show business at the age of 7 by Ed Wynn, at a vaudeville show in Vincennes. At age 10, he left home to travel with a medicine show through the Midwest, and joined the vaudeville circuit at age 15. At age 17, he married Edna Marie Stilwell, an usher who became his vaudeville partner and later his chief writer and manager. He debuted on Broadway and radio in 1937 and on film in 1938. His ex-wife/manager negotiated a seven-year Hollywood contract for him in 1951, the same year The Red Skelton Hour (1951) premiered on NBC. For two decades, until 1971, his show consistently stayed in the top twenty, both on NBC and CBS. His numerous characters, including Clem Kaddiddlehopper, George Appleby, and the seagulls Gertrude and Heathcliffe delighted audiences for decades. First and foremost, he considered himself a clown, although not the greatest, and his paintings of clowns brought in a fortune after he left television. His home life was not completely happy--two divorces and a son Richard who died of leukemia at age 9--and he did not hang around with other comedians. He continued performing live until illness, and he was a longtime supporter of children's charities. Red Skelton died at age 84 of pneumonia in Rancho Mirage, California, on September 17, 1997. Red is interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Glendale, California, in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Benediction.

Ruth Arnold

Ruth Arnold is known for The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (2001), The 10th Kingdom (2000) and EastEnders (1985). Ruth studied at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She acted in the play, "Vortigern-The Great Shakespeare Forgery," in a Tour De Force production at the Bridewell Theatre in London, England with James Simmons, Georgia Dobbs, Pippa Haywood, Chris Hollis, Nigel Parkin, Darren Ruston, Michael Wade, Christopher Booker, Robin Carter, Ben Forgham, Jack Harvey, Anthony Houghton, Simon Linnell, Vanessa Massi, and Andrew Whelan in the cast. Joe Harmston was director.

Nathan Faudree

Nathan grew up in the Central New York Region and splits his time between Syracuse and New York City. He is an award winning actor, writer and film maker. His writing credits include co-writing the plays Finding Graffenberg and the critically acclaimed 4play, which just enjoyed a sold out run in Chicago. As an actor he became Fangoria Radio's Scream King of 2006 while starring in the cult classics Kottentail and Bachelor Party at the Bungalow of the Damned and providing the monster noises for Troma's Poultrygeist. He has played Bigfoot in two different movies. He was honored to play home town hero Lee Alexander in the feature film, King Lee. He wrote and starred in the Marvel Fan Film Killgrave and the feature film Site 13 which he also directed. He is also an accomplished Shakespearean actor having played some of the great roles including Macbeth, Claudius and Mark Antony.

Sam Heughan

Cast · Known for Outlander

Sam graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2003. He was nominated for a 2003 Laurence Olivier Award (Most Promising Performance) for Outlying Islands at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs. Sam has appeared in various TV programmes including: A Very British Sex Scandal (Channel 4), Any Human Heart (Film4), Midsomer Murders (ITV) and as a regular character in BBC Soaps River City and Doctors. His film leads include: Young Alexander The Great (Ilya Salkind Company) and Emulsion (White Lantern Films), while theatre credits include: Plague Over England (Duchess, West End), MacBeth (Nottingham, Edinburgh Lyceum), Romeo And Juliet (Dundee Rep) and Hamlet (Citizens Glasgow).

Alison Lintott

Alison recently filmed the feature GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and ESIOT TROTT for Endor. She appeared in the role of Rita in LINE OF DUTY for World Productions/BBC and other TV includes DOCTORS and HOLBY CITY for the BBC; Grace (regular) in CAMPUS for Monicker/Channel 4; SHERLOCK - THE GREAT GAME for Hartswood/BBC; THE SILENCE for the BBC; THE TUDORS for BBC; PSYCHOVILLE (regular) for BBC; LAW & ORDER for Kudos; LITTLE DORRIT for the BBC and WIRE IN THE BLOOD for Coastal/ITV.

John Mitchum

John Newman Mitchum was the September child of a Norwegian mother and an Irish/Blackfoot father whom he never knew, as he was killed in a tragic train yard accident in 1919. His two-years-older brother Robert filled the role as best as he could, while their older sister Annette studied the lively arts and eventually joined a traveling vaudeville team. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the young family moved to Rising Sun, Delaware, where farm life didn't agree with the young boys. Scarce opportunities took them to New York City, where the streets of Hell's kitchen taught the brothers to fight, a skill they developed so well they earned the moniker 'them ornery Mitchum boys'. Eventually, when the Great Depression deepened, the family was forced to separate with the intention of meeting up with sister Annette, who had married a sailor and moved to California, changing her name to Julie. The teenage boys set out with little more than clean handkerchiefs to find their way across the country by the only means they could: hitchhiking and riding the rails. Their somewhat aimless journey took them to places they had never been; where their Eastern accents were not welcome, so they quickly learned that accurately mimicking the local dialect would keep them out of trouble--some of the time! While brother Robert fairly quickly discovered his place in Hollywood legend, John sought his destiny on the high seas, professionally boxing, or conducting a choir. When the opportunity for acting came along John found his perfect niche as a character actor, mostly playing heavies since he was an imposing figure of a man. John's roles had him playing alongside a wide range of celebrities, from Humphrey Bogart in "Knock On Any Door" (1949) to Gladys Knight in "Pipe Dreams" (1976), Clint Eastwood of "Dirty Harry" (1971) to John Wayne in "Chisum" (1970), appearing in 58 films overall. It was during production of "Chisum" that John Wayne offered his voice for an anthology of John's poetry that seeks to uplift US culture, "America, Why I Love Her", a recording for which Mitchum was nominated for a Grammy in 1973. John was a consummate storyteller (as was his brother Robert), and with his fascination with US history in particular he was ever-ready to regale anyone with a thoughtful, interesting, and insightful anecdote, especially if a guitar was available. It was the wedding of music and history that brought him to create the recording "Our Land, Our Heritage" with Dan Blocker; big "Hoss" from "Bonanza", in 1964. Mitchum had some recurring roles throughout his television career; such as "Pickalong" from "Riverboat", or "Hoffenmueller" from "F-Troop", over 150 appearances in all during the span of a half-century career. The brothers Mitchum legacy has been well-preserved in his often hilarious autobiography, "Them Ornery Mitchum Boys", published in 1989. The subjects range from brother Robert escaping a Georgia chain-gang to his "poontang" interview; from John surviving an attacking whale on a three-masted schooner to his adventures riding the rails, developing a great love and respect for the people of the United States.

Tres Hanley

Hanley trained as an opera singer at the Juilliard School. A teenage protégé of Leonard Bernstein, she was a soloist in the Great Composers Series singing his work Glitter and Be Gay (Candide). Much of her early work was in musical theatre prior to transitioning into TV and Film. She played Polly Peachum in a London production The Beggar's Opera which was part of London's West End summer (limited run) season Open Air Theatre productions at Holland, Cannazaro and Regent's Parks in the 1990s Aside from her TV, film and voice over work, she was most known in Germany and in parts of Europe in the mid-late 90s as the Bacardi girl as well as for a comic worldwide commercial (NCR) opposite Toby Jones. In 2007 she released a European Dance single "Dance of the Euro Diva”. The music was composed by Éric Serra. The piece was originally written for the film The Fifth Element. Personal life: Paramours included actor Javier Bardem, whom she met while working on Mouth to Mouth (aka Boca a Boca). Others included British TV personality James Hewitt, the former British household cavalry officer, who is most notable for being the long time lover of Diana, Princess of Wales. In the early 90’s she dated Phantom of the Opera collaborator Charles Hart (lyricist). Hart penned one of the songs on Hanley’s album A SIREN’S ODYSSEY. Rumored relationships include Hugh Grant, and Prince Albert of Monaco with whom European tabloids photographed her in the mid 1990’s sharing an intimate kiss while at a Paris nightclub, though no confirmation of a relationship was ever reported. She has been married to architect and entrepreneur Paul Millman since 2003. Trivia: -She was originally cast in a small role in Eyes Wide Shut -where she was filming for one month. With Kubrick's constant daily rewrites, eventually Hanley's scene was eventually dropped. -She is featured on the film soundtrack for Mouth to Mouth (Boca A Boca) singing "Si Senor" -She is a Vegan and active in animal activism.

Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore was the second of three children seemingly destined for the actor's life of their parents Maurice and Georgiana. Maurice Barrymore had emigrated from England in 1875, and after graduating from Cambridge in law had shocked his family by becoming an actor. Georgiana Drew of Philadelphia acted in her parents' stage company. The two met and married as members of Augustin Daly's company in New York. They both acted with some of the great stage personalities of the mid Victorian theater of America and England. The Barrymore children were born and grew up in Philadelphia. Though older brother Lionel Barrymore began acting early with his mother's relatives in the Drew theater company, Ethel, after a traditional girl's schooling, planned on becoming a concert pianist. The lure of the stage was perhaps congenital, however. She made her debut as a stage actress during the New York City season of 1894. Her youthful stage presence was at once a pleasure, a strikingly pretty and winsome face and large dark eyes that seemed to look out from her very soul. Her natural talent and distinctive voice only reinforced the physical presence of someone destined to command any role set before her. After the opportunity to appear on the London stage with English great Henry Irving in "The Bells" (1897) and later in "Peter the Great" (1898), she returned to New York to star in the Clyde Fitch play "Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines" (1901) (produced by her friend and benefactor Charles Frohman), which brought her initial American acclaim. Lead roles, such as Nora in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" (1905) and starring in "Alice By the Fire" (also 1905), "Mid-Channel" (1910) and "Trelawney of the Wells" (1911) proved her popularity as a warm and charismatic star of American stage. In the meantime she married stockbroker Russell Griswold Colt in 1909 and gave birth to three children while continuing her acting career. Although the stage was her first love, she did heed the call of the silver screen, and though not achieving the matinée idol image that younger brother John Barrymore garnered in silent movies after similar chemistry on stage, she won over audiences from her first film appearance in The Nightingale (1914). However, her early film roles, steady through 1919, took a back seat to continued stage triumphs: "Declassee" (1919), her impassioned Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" (1922), "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray" (1924) and, especially, "The Constant Wife" (1926). She harnessed her considerable talents in the role of an activist as well, being a bedrock supporter of the Actors Equity Association and, in fact, had been a prominent figure in the actors strike of 1919. By 1930 she was entering middle age and her movie roles reflected this. Except for Rasputin and the Empress (1932) with her brothers, the roles were elderly mothers and grandmothers, dowager ladies and spinster aunts. Perhaps wisely she put off Hollywood for over a decade, with stage work that included her most endearing role in "The Corn is Green" (a tour that lasted from 1940 to 1942). She finally moved to Southern California in 1940. When she passed away in 1959, she was interred near her brothers at Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles.