Drew Blythe Barrymore is an American actress, producer, director, author, model and entrepreneur. She is a member of the Barrymore family of actors, and the granddaughter of John Barrymore. She achieved fame as a child actress with her role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA nomination. Take a look below for 35 more fun and fascinating facts about Drew Barrymore.
1. Barrymore was born in Culver City, California, to actor John Barrymore and aspiring actress Jaid.
2. Jaid was born in a displaced persons camp in Brannenburg, West Germany, to Hungarian World War II refugees.
3. Barrymore is one of four children and has a half-brother, John, who is also an actor.
4. Her parents divorced in 1984, when she was 9-years-old.
5. Barrymore was born into an acting family. All of her paternal great-grandparents—Maurice and Georgie Drew Barrymore, Maurice and Mae Costello—as well as her paternal grandparents, John Barrymore and Dolores Costello, were actors, with John being arguably the most acclaimed actor of his generation.
6. Barrymore is a niece of Diana Barrymore, a grandniece of Lionel Barrymore, Ethel Barrymore, and Helene Costello, and a great-great-granddaughter of Irish-born John and English-born Louisa Lane Drew, all of whom were also actors.
7. She was a great-grandniece of Broadway idol John Drew Jr. and silent film actor, writer, and director Sidney Drew.
8. Barrymore’s godmothers are actress Sophia Loren and Lee Strasberg’s widow, Anna Strasberg; Barrymore described her relationship with the latter as one that “would become so important to me as a kid because she was so kind and nurturing.”
9. Her godfather is director Steven Spielberg.
10. Barrymore’s first name, Drew, was the maiden name of her paternal great-grandmother Georgie Drew, and her middle name, Blythe, was the surname of the family first used by her great-grandfather Maurice Barrymore.
11. In her 1991 autobiography Little Girl Lost, Barrymore recounted early memories of her abusive father, who left the family when Barrymore was 6-months-old.
12. She and her father never had anything resembling a significant relationship and seldom spoke to each other.
13. Barrymore grew up on Poinsettia Place in West Hollywood until the age of 7, when she moved to Sherman Oaks.
14. In her 2015 memoir, Wildflower, she says she talks “like a valley girl” because she grew up in Sherman Oaks.
15. She moved back to West Hollywood upon becoming emancipated at 14.
16. Barrymore attended elementary school at Fountain Day School in West Hollywood and Country School.
17. In the wake of her sudden stardom, Barrymore endured a notoriously troubled childhood.
18. She was a regular at the racy Studio 54 as a young girl, and her nightlife and constant partying became a popular subject with the media.
19. She was placed in rehab at the age of 13, and spent 18 months in an institution for the mentally ill.
20. A suicide attempt at 14 put her back in rehab, followed by a three-month stay with singer David Crosby and his wife. The stay was precipitated, Crosby said, because she “needed to be around some people that were committed to sobriety.”
21. Barrymore later described this period of her life in her autobiography, Little Girl Lost. After a successful juvenile court petition for emancipation, she moved into her own apartment at the age of 15.
22. Barrymore became a CoverGirl Cosmetics’ model and spokeswoman in 2007.
23. In February 2015, she remained one of the faces of CoverGirl, alongside Queen Latifah and Taylor Swift. The company partnered with her because “she emulates the iconic image of CoverGirl with her fresh, natural beauty and energetic yet authentic spirit,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, vice president and general manager of CoverGirl Cosmetics North America.
24. Barrymore launched a women’s fashion line in fall 2017 in conjunction with Amazon.com called Dear Drew, which featured a pop-up shop in New York City that opened in November.
25. In May 2007, Barrymore was named Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Program and later donated $1 million to the cause.
26. When she was 16 in 1991, Barrymore became engaged to Leland Hayward, namesake and grandson of Hollywood producer Leland Hayward. The engagement was called off a few months later.
27. Barrymore was engaged to and lived with musician and actor Jamie Walters from 1992 to 1993.
28. Barrymore married her first husband, Welsh-born Los Angeles bar owner Jeremy Thomas, on March 20, 1994. She filed for divorce from him less than two months later.
29. In late 1994, Barrymore began dating Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson, followed by MTV host and comedian Tom Green in 1999; she and Green were engaged in July 2000 and married a year later.
30. In 2002, Barrymore began dating The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti shortly after they met at a concert. Their five-year relationship ended in January 2007.
31. She began dating Justin Long, but they broke up in July 2008. While filming Going the Distance, Barrymore and Long reunited in 2009, but broke up again the next year.
32. In early 2011, Barrymore began dating art consultant Will Kopelman, the son of former Chanel CEO Arie Kopelman. The couple announced their engagement in January 2012, and married on June 2, 2012, in Montecito, California.
33. Barrymore and Kopelman have two daughters: Olive (b. 2012) and Frankie (b. 2014).
34. On April 2, 2016, Barrymore and Kopelman released a statement confirming they had separated and intended to divorce. On July 15, 2016, Barrymore officially filed for divorce, which was finalized on August 3, 2016.
35. Barrymore has two songs named after her, written by SZA and Bryce Vine.