John Blyth Barrymore

John Blyth Barrymore III (born May 15, 1954) is an American film and television actor. He is known for his role as Zeke in the 1970s television series Kung Fu, which was his first role on television.

John Blyth Barrymore
Blyth Barrymore in 1982
Born
John Blyth Barrymore III

(1954-05-15) May 15, 1954
OccupationActor
Years active1967–present
Parent(s)John Drew Barrymore
Cara Williams
FamilyBarrymore

Biography

John Blyth Barrymore III was born to John Drew Barrymore and Cara Williams.[1] As such, he is from the famous Barrymore family: He is the half-brother of American actress Drew Barrymore, as well as the grandnephew of Ethel Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore.[2] He is of partial Irish descent through his great-grandfather, actor Maurice Costello. John has stated that he does not remember if he met his aunt Diana Barrymore, who was also an actress.[3]

Norman Abbott, the director of the television show The Munsters, requested that John play the role of Eddie Munster in the show. John's mother did not allow him to take the role, and in later years John thanked his mother for not allowing him to become a child actor.

Like his father, John has had a sporadic career in film and television, mainly appearing in shlock horror movies and comedies. John found himself homeless in 2012. While on skid row, he took to wearing a shirt printed with "I'm Drew Barrymore's brother".[4][5][6]

After John and Drew's half-sister Jessica Barrymore was found dead in her vehicle in 2014, he publicly criticized Drew for not being receptive to forming a relationship with either him or Jessica.[7]

In 2017, he appeared in an hour-long episode of Lasagna Cat, a web-series parodying Jim Davis's comic-strip series Garfield, by the production team Fatal Farm. His performance consisted of a tribute and in-depth philosophical analysis of a Garfield comic strip from July 27, 1978, which features Garfield smoking Jon's pipe to his dismay, as he describes it as a single perfect Garfield comic strip.[8]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1967Me and BenjyPetieTelevision Film
1975Kung FuZeke4 episodes
1976Baby Blue MarineIdiot #2
1978The One Man JuryPoliceman #1
1978FeedbackHoodlum
1979NocturnaPunk vampire
1980Lou GrantHaroldEpisode: "Cameras"
1981AmericanaJohn / Jack
1981Smokey Bites the DustHarold
1981Full Moon HighStudent
1982Lou GrantMarc PauleyEpisode: "Dogs"
1982Trick or TreatsMad Doctor
1984Hard to HoldRecording Engineer
1990Cry-BabyAdditional voicesUncredited
1990Crazy PeopleAdditional voices
1997HybridDr. Paul Hamilton
2017Lasagna CatHimself (fictionalized)Episode: "07/27/1978"

Further reading

  • Pilato, Herbie J., The Kung Fu Book of Caine: The Complete Guide to TV's First Mystical Eastern Western. Boston: Charles A. Tuttle (1993); ISBN 0-8048-1826-6

References

  1. Mank, Gregory William (2014). The Very Witching Time of Night: Dark Alleys of Classic Horror Cinema. McFarland. pp. 63–64. ISBN 978-0-7864-4955-2.
  2. Vare, Ethlie Ann (2011). Love Addict: Sex, Romance, and Other Dangerous Drugs. Health Communications, Inc. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-7573-1595-4.
  3. "Interview with Actor John Blyth Barrymore". Eerie Digest. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  4. "Drew Barrymore's Brother on Welfare". Inside Edition. February 1, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  5. "DREW BARRYMORE HAS A HALF BROTHER ON SKID ROW". Janet Charlton's Hollywood. December 7, 2011. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  6. "Drew Barrymore Bans Family From Wedding". The Gossip Jacker. June 8, 2012. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  7. "Abandoned And Alone: Drew Barrymore Had Been 'Avoiding' Sister Jessica Before Her Tragic Death, Says Brother John". Radar Online. August 6, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  8. "07/27/1978". YouTube. February 23, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
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