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 natio ...

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, 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 L ...

, 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 * Secon ...

, Ethel, and Lionel Barrymore, 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 List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, 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. John Drew as Petruchio

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. His memoirs, titled ''My Years on the Stage'', were published in

1922 Events January * January 7 – 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 Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...

. 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 Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...

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. 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 most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

’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 for " 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 fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

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.

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. Members of The Lambs Club Burials at Mount Vernon Cemetery (Philadelphia)

Life

See also

References

External links