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American · 1882-1942 · 17 quotes
American · 1882–1942
17 quotes in our collection
John Barrymore was the American stage and film actor who, from the 1910s through the 1930s, was considered the greatest Hamlet of his generation and one of the most gifted performers in either medium. Born in Philadelphia in 1882 into the famous Barrymore theatrical dynasty, he had the looks — "the Great Profile" — the voice, and the intelligence for classical theatre, and the self-destructiveness for legend. His Hamlet on Broadway in 1922 ran for 101 performances, a record at the time. In Hollywood he made a series of major silent and early sound films before alcohol eroded his memory and his career. He died in 1942 at sixty. His aphorisms have the dark comedy of a man who knew exactly what he was doing and did it anyway: a man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams; happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open.
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