Little Drew Barrymore is all grown up. Believe it or not Drew Barrymore is 47. Of course, so she’s been grown up for quite a while now. The child actress who starred in Firestarter(1984) at the age of eight and E. T. (1982) at six was legally emancipated at the age of fourteen.
She is a scion of the famous Barrymore family, who inspired the Broadway play The Royal Family, which was made into a movie The Royal Family of Broadway 1930. Although called the “royal family of Broadway”, the Barrymore’s theatrical roots reach back to the London stage during Victoria’s reign. Drew Barrymore’s grandfather was the great John Barrymore, star of stage and silent films (1882-1942). In addition to playing Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (1936) and Hamlet (1922), he starred in the silent version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) and Sherlock Holmes (1922).
Ethel Barrymore (1879 -1959), the First Lady of American Theatre, was Drew Barrymore’s great-aunt. Lionel Barrymore (1878-1954) was her great-uncle.
Like many of her illustrious ancestors, Drew Barrymore has combined a successful professional career with an unhappy personal life. She went into rehab for the first time at the tender age of thirteen. She has been married and divorced three times.
Drew’s first science fiction genre film was the groundbreaking Altered States in 1980 at the tender age of four years. Two years later, she played the role of Since appearing in E. T. and Firestarter, Drew Barrymore went on to roles the sci-fi classic Altered States in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Batman Forever (1995), and Scream (1996). In 1998 she starred as Danielle in the innocuous and charming film Ever After: A Cinderella Story.
Also an author, she has written her autobiography. Little Girl Lost about her tempestuous youth. She has perservered, though, defying the odds to become a director, a producer, and most recently a talk show host.
Happy Birthday to you, Drew Barrymore. Have a great day with your two daughters, Olive and Frankie, and we wish for you the hope that the next forty-seven years ahead hold brighter days.
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children's book "R is for Renaissance Faire", as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in "Alternative Truths", "Swords and Sorceress #30", Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, "Cat Tails" "Under Western Stars", and "Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid". Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio's web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
