American actor
Older half-brother of actress Drew Barrymore , half-brother of Blyth Dolores Barrymore (1 September 1962) and Jessica Barrymore (31 July 1966 - 29 July 2014).
Son of John Drew Barrymore , grandson of legendary actor John Barrymore and Dolores Costello , & grand-nephew of legendary actors Lionel Barrymore & Ethel Barrymore and Helene Costello.
His mother is the film and television actress Cara Williams who starred in the TV series "Pete and Gladys" and "The Cara Williams Show" and the film The Defiant Ones where she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Billys mother.
His grandfather, the original John Blyth Barrymore, had left specific instructions in his will that his body be cremated and his ashes be laid to rest next to his father and mother in the family cemetery in Philadelphia. However, due to the fact that his brother Lionel and sister Ethel were Catholic and cremation had not at that time been sanctioned by the Catholic Church, the executors (Lionel and Mervyn Leroy) pulled some fancy judicial manipulations and Barrymores remains were entombed at Calvary Cemetery, in Los Angeles after his death in 1942. In 1980, his son John Drew Barrymore decided - after hearing a rendition of "The Cremation Of Sam McGee" - that it was high time to have his father cremated. He recruited his son John Blyth Barrymore to help. The gravediggers removed the "Good Night, Sweet Prince" marble monument from the front of the crypt and the smell assaulted them. Barrymore had been dead for thirty-eight years, and the body was still decomposing. The casket was solid bronze, and although it had a glass liner, it must have cracked or something, because the fluids from the body had leaked out and had formed a kind of glue between the casket and the floor of the crypt. They muscled the coffin up on the hand truck and wheeled it down a long ramp to a van they had waiting outside. The body fluids were leaking out all the way. They cruised over to the Odd Fellows Cemetery, which had the nearest crematorium, and made the cremation preparations. John Jr. insisted on having a look inside the casket before they left. After viewing the body, he came out white as a sheet and crying. He got in the car and said to his son, "Thank God Im drunk, Ill never remember it." John Blyth Barrymore got a graphic description later from one of the eye-witnesses. Apparently all the bouncing around during the move had sort of busted the jaw apart from what was left of the head. They were convinced it was John Barrymore by the very high quality dental work, and because although most of the flesh on the nose had decomposed, an incredibly long nose cartilage remained.
Cousin of Tony Barrymore.
Nephew of actress Diana Barrymore and DeeDee Barrymore.
Father of John Blyth Barrymore Jr with Jacqueline Barrymore and Sabrina Brooke & Blythe Lane with Rebecca Pogrow the second.
John now works in the information technology field, particularly software development.
Uncle of Olive and Frankie Barrymore Kopelman, Drews daughters.
Brother-in-law of Will Kopelman , husband of his half-sister Drew.
Brother-in-law of Antonio Gioffredi (Blyth Dolores Husband). Uncle of Gabriella and Nicole Gioffredi, their daughters.
