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John Barrymore

John Barrymore

Actor · Died May 29, 1942, aged 60 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

John Sidney Blyth Barrymore (February 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III. His success continued with motion pictures in various genres in both the silent and sound eras. Barrymore's personal life has been the subject of much writing before and since his passing in 1942. Today John Barrymore is mostly known for his roles in movies like Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1920), Grand Hotel (1932), Dinner at Eight (1933), Twentieth Century (1934), and Don Juan (1926), the first ever movie to use a Vitaphone soundtrack. A member of a multi-generation theatrical dynasty, he was the brother of Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore, and was the paternal grandfather of Drew Barrymore.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 15, 1882
Died
May 29, 1942 (aged 60)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
27 on MovieCove · 80 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 25% in 30 days

What are John Barrymore's films like?

Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
30%
Morality
28%
Power
20%
Self
12%
Society
7%
Survival
3%
Ideas
1%
Romantic love11 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 25 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 5 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 15 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 4

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 12 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 23 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

23 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 9 of 23 analyzed roles.

Hero
9 of 23
Mentor
5 of 23
Shadow
4 of 23
Shapeshifter
2 of 23
Trickster
2 of 23
Ally
1 of 23
Show the 23 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Romantic
9
Thrilling
6
Warm
6
Joyful
5
Other
25

How their films linger

Fun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy14
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic4
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch John Barrymore's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 27 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Barrymore's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

80 credits, 27 with a MovieCove page; 17 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Coded: The Hidden Love of J.C. Leyendecker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Archival Footage

  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: The Game - The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Synthwave Horror: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde

  • The Casting Couch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Actor

  • Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    as Hamlet (archive sound)

  • Going Hollywood: The '30s(1984)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Horror of It All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    as Svengali (archive footage)

  • The Horror Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    as (archive footage)

  • That's Entertainment, Part II(1976)

    as (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Yesterday and Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as (archive footage)

  • Okay for Sound (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Don Juan (archive footage)

  • Playmates(1941)

    as John Barrymore

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • World Premiere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Duncan DeGrasse

  • The Invisible Woman(1940)

    as Professor Gibbs

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Great Profile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Evans Garrick

  • Land of Liberty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as (archive footage)

  • The Green Goddess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Actor

  • Midnight(1939)

    as Georges Flammarion

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Great Man Votes(1939)

    as Vance

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Hold That Co-ed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Gabby Harrigan

  • Marie Antoinette(1938)

    as King Louis XV

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Spawn of the North(1938)

    as Windy Turlon

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Romance in the Dark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Zoltan Jason

  • Bulldog Drummond's Peril(1938)

    as Colonel Neilson

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • True Confession (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Charles Jasper

  • Bulldog Drummond's Revenge(1937)

    as Col. J.A. Nielson

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Night Club Scandal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Dr. Ernest Tindal

  • Bulldog Drummond Comes Back(1937)

    as Colonel Neilson

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Maytime(1937)

    as Nicolai Nazaroff

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Romeo and Juliet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Mercutio

  • Movie Maniacs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Photograph of John Barrymore (uncredited)

  • Twentieth Century(1934)

    as Oscar Jaffe

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Long Lost Father (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Carl Bellairs

  • Counsellor at Law(1933)

    as George Simon

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Dinner at Eight(1933)

    as Larry Renault

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Night Flight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Riviere

  • Reunion in Vienna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Rudolf von Hapsburg

  • Hamlet, Act I: Scenes IV and V (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Hamlet

  • Topaze (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1933)

    as Auguste A. Topaze

  • Rasputin and the Empress(1932)

    as Prince Paul Chegodieff

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • A Bill of Divorcement(1932)

    as Hilary Fairfield

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Grand Hotel(1932)

    as Baron Felix von Gaigern

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • State's Attorney(1932)

    as Tom Cardigan

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Arsène Lupin(1932)

    as Duke of Charmerace

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Mad Genius (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    as Vladimar Ivan Tsarakov

  • Svengali(1931)

    as Svengali

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Moby Dick(1930)

    as Ahab

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Man from Blankley's (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    as Lord Strathpeffer

  • General Crack (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Duke of Kurland / Prince Christian

  • Show of Shows(1929)

    as Richard III in 'Henry VI Part III' (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Eternal Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    as Marcus Paltran

  • Tempest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Sergeant Ivan Markov

  • Life in Hollywood No. 4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Actor

  • When a Man Loves(1927)

    as Chevalier Fabien des Grieux

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Beloved Rogue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    as François Villon

  • Don Juan(1926)

    as Don Jose de Marana / Don Juan de Marana

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Sea Beast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    as Captain Ahab Ceeley

  • Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ(1925)

    as Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Beau Brummel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    as Gordon Bryon 'Beau' Brummel

  • Sherlock Holmes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    as Sherlock Holmes

  • The Lotus Eater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    as Jacques Leroi

  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1920)

    as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Edward Hyde

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Test of Honor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Martin Wingrave

  • Here Comes the Bride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1919)

    as Frederick Tile

  • On the Quiet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    as Robert Ridgeway

  • Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as A.J. Raffles

  • National Red Cross Pageant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    as The Tyrant - Russian episode

  • The Red Widow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Cicero Hannibal Butts

  • The Lost Bridegroom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Bertie Joyce

  • Nearly a King (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    as Jack Merriwell, Prince of Bulwana

  • The Incorrigible Dukane (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as James Dukane

  • The Dictator (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Brooke Travers

  • Are You a Mason? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Frank Perry

  • The Man from Mexico (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Fitzhugh

  • An American Citizen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1914)

    as Berresford Cruger

  • One on Romance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1913)

    as Jack Wilson (as Jack Barrymore)

  • A Prize Package (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)

    as Si Hawkins (as Jack Barrymore)

  • Just Pretending (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)

    as The Policeman (as Jack Barrymore)

  • The Widow Casey's Return (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)

    as The Rejected Suitor (as Jack Barrymore)

  • The Dream of a Moving Picture Director (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1912)

    as The Movie Villain (as Jack Barrymore)

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 80 titles from 1912 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Midnight (1939)

$14K worldwide

Highest rated

Midnight (1939)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Grand Hotel (1932)

Film career

Top draw in 7 MovieCove titles.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting80 of 80: 80 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score74th

By decade

1910s18 · acting1920s14 · acting1930s33 · acting1940s5 · acting1950s1 · acting1970s2 · acting1980s2 · acting1990s2 · acting2010s2 · acting2020s1 · acting

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 43% of 14 roles
2035

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do John Barrymore's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 27; across their 25 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 25

Midcredits score across 27 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th7

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 27 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

Going Hollywood: The '30s (1984)

72nd percentile spread · 12% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Midnight (1939)

Midcredits 96th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the acting 75/100 in their films, across 24 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is John Barrymore's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 16 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does John Barrymore work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Barrymore's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Howard shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers