John Drew Jr. (November 13, 1853 – July 9, 1927), commonly known as John Drew during his life, was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
stage actor noted for his roles in
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
an comedy, society drama, and light comedies. He was the eldest son of
John Drew Sr.
John Drew (September 3, 1827 – May 21, 1862) was an Irish-American stage actor and theatre manager.
Early life
Born Jonathan Henry Drewland in Dublin, Ireland, to Thomas L. Drewland and Louise Kanten, he was the fifth of six children. He live ...
, who had given up a blossoming career in whaling for acting,
[ and ]Louisa Lane Drew
Louisa Lane Drew (January 10, 1820 – August 31, 1897) was an English-born American actress and theatre owner and an ancestor of the Barrymore acting family. Professionally she was often known as Mrs. John Drew.
Life and career
Louisa L ...
, and the brother of Louisa Drew, Georgiana Drew
Georgiana Emma Drew (July 11, 1856 – July 2, 1893), Georgie Drew Barrymore, was an American stage actress and comedian and a member of the Barrymore acting family.
Life and career
Born in Philadelphia, her family — parents John Drew and ...
, and Sidney Drew
Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Drew were an American comedy team on stage and screen. The team initially consisted of Sidney Drew (August 28, 1863 – April 9, 1919) and his first wife Gladys Rankin (October 8, 1870 – January 9, 1914). After Gladys died in 19 ...
. As such, he was also the uncle of John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, Ethel
Ethel (also '' æthel'') is an Old English word meaning "noble", today often used as a feminine given name.
Etymology and historic usage
The word means ''æthel'' "noble".
It is frequently attested as the first element in Anglo-Saxon names, b ...
, and Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931) ...
, and also great-great-uncle to Drew Barrymore
Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, director, producer, talk show host and author. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a ...
. He was considered to be the leading matinee idol of his day, but unlike most matinee idols Drew's acting ability was largely undisputed.
Life
Drew was educated at a fine academy in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, but the life of the theater would become his primary focus at a young age.[ His first role as a boy was "Plumper" in ''Cool as a Cucumber'' at the family's Arch Street Theater.][
]
Drew had a long association with Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...
and leading lady Maude Adams
Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953), known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production ...
. In these years under Frohman, John Drew's stardom was established.[ His first play with Frohman was ''The Masked Ball'', a comedy adapted from a French play. This show was primarily a vehicle to establish Drew's stardom under Frohman, and it succeeded in that.][
Drew was associated originally with the company of ]Augustin Daly
John Augustin Daly (July 20, 1838June 7, 1899) was one of the most influential men in American theatre during his lifetime. Drama critic, theatre manager, playwright, and adapter, he became the first recognized stage director in America. He exer ...
in the 1880s, a man known for managing and training with grim efficiency.[ Under Daly's management, John Drew developed his reputation for versatility, appearing in many varieties of play, but especially in contemporary works that are rarely performed or remembered today.][ His frequent leading lady with Daly was ]Ada Rehan
Ada Rehan (born Bidelia Crehan; June 12, 1857 – January 8, 1916) was an American actress and comedian who typified the "personality" style of acting in the nineteenth century.
Early life and career
She was born Bidelia Crehan in Limerick cit ...
. His memoirs, titled ''My Years on the Stage'', were published in 1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
. His final Broadway play was ''The Circle'' co-starring fellow veteran star Mrs. Leslie Carter
Caroline Louise Dudley (June 10, 1857 – November 13, 1937) was an American silent film and stage actress who found fame on Broadway through collaborations with impresario David Belasco. She was a strikingly beautiful and vivacious performer ...
and proved to be a popular comeback for the two Victorian actors. The Circle was made into a silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
in 1925 by MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
directed by Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage (; April 23, 1894 – June 19, 1962) was an Academy Award-winning American film director and actor, known for directing '' 7th Heaven'' (1927), '' Street Angel'' (1928), '' Bad Girl'' (1931), '' A Farewell to Arms'' (1932), ''Man's ...
.
Highly esteemed by his fellow actors, John Drew was elected lifetime president of New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
’s theatrical club The Players. The appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...
"Jr.", distinguishing him from his long-deceased actor father, is usually dropped. He died in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
on July 9, 1927 shortly after being visited by his nephews John and Lionel Barrymore, both of whom had taken time off from movie-making on the West Coast. After cremation, his remains were taken to Philadelphia and interred at Mount Vernon Cemetery alongside his wife.
Drew and his wife Josephine (''nee'' Baker)portrait 1870s of Josephine Baker
Retrieved October 5, 2016 had one daughter, Louise Drew
Louise Drew (1882 – April 23, 1954, New York City) was an American stage actress.
Life and career
Born into a prominent stage family, Drew was part of the Barrymore family tree of actors. She was educated in both France and the United States. ...
(1882–1954). Louise married Broadway actor Jack Devereaux[ and they had a son, John Drew Devereaux.
]
See also
* Barrymore family
The Barrymore family is an American acting family.
The Barrymores are also the inspiration of a Broadway play called ''The Royal Family'', which debuted in 1927. Many members of the Barrymore family are not mentioned in this article. The surnam ...
References
External links
Britannica Student Encyclopedia entry
on John Drew (Jr.)
John Drew
photo gallery at NYP Library
*
John Drew Jr. : ''North American Theatre Online''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drew, John Jr.
1853 births
1927 deaths
American male stage actors
John Drew Jr.
John Drew Jr. (November 13, 1853 – July 9, 1927), commonly known as John Drew during his life, was an American stage actor noted for his roles in Shakespearean comedy, society drama, and light comedies. He was the eldest son of John Drew S ...
Members of The Lambs Club
Burials at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia)