John Drew Barrymore, the son of legendary actor John Barrymore and father to Hollywood’s leading actress Drew Barrymore, died at the age of 75 of cancer. Known as a man with a rebellious disposition, Barrymore dove into his promising acting career at the age of 17, after being released from the U.S. Navy for lying about his age upon enlisting.
His first two films were minor Westerns: The Sundowners and High Lonesome (both 1950 releases). Later he appeared in more notable films like The Big Night (1951) and While the City Sleeps (1956). Without riding on his famous acting family’s laurels, Barrymore turned out to have a sagacious acting career. In one of his final performances, Barrymore was more than compelling in an episode of television’s Kung Fu, entitled “A Dream within a Dream”.