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E.T.'s Girl
Background:
Hollywood heavy hitting heiress, actress and producer Drew Barrymore, was first
noticed as the little girl Gertie in Steven Spielberg's 1982 huge hit, E.T. the
Extra-Terrestrial. She later gained more recognition while starring and
producing such films as Never Been Kissed (1999), Charlie's Angels (2000),
Donnie Darko (2001), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and Duplex (2003).
The actress, who received a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame on
February 3, 2004, recently starred in such romantic comedies as 50 First Dates
(2004, with Adam Sandler) and Fever Pitch (2005, opposite Jimmy Fallon).
5' 4" inches tall Barrymore has 34C-24-34 measurements and was listed as one of
People's 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1997. She drew more attention
in the 1990s, when she stripped with then-boyfriend Jamie Walters, on the
Interview and Playboy covers. Drew also flashed her breast on David Letterman's
Late Night show birthday celebration.
"There's something liberating about not pretending. Dare to embarrass yourself.
Risk." Drew Barrymore
Barrymore's private life has been linked to actor Luke Wilson, Hole's guitarist
Eric Erlandson, and she was once engaged to actor James Walters (broke up in
January 1993). Currently, Barrymore is involved with The Strokes' drummer
Fabrizio Moretti (dating since 2003). Barrymore was once married to actor Tom
Green and to barkeep Jeremy Thomas.
Little Girl Lost
Childhood and Family:
Drew Blythe Barrymore was born on February 22, 1975 in Culver City, California
to a family fully loaded with acting skill. Her father is actor John Drew
Barrymore Jr. (a.k.a. John Drew; born on June 4, 1932; died on November 29,
2004) and her mother is actress Ildiko Jad Barrymore (a.k.a. Jaid, born in 1947,
also a hostess and author who dedicated her book, Secrets of World-Class Lovers,
to Drew). Her grandparents were silent films legends, John Barrymore Sr. (died
on May 29, 1942, of pneumonia and cirrhosis of the liver) and Dolores Costello
(died on March 1, 1979, of emphysema). Drew Barrymore is also the great niece of
famed actors, Ethel Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore, as well as the goddaughter
of Steven Spielberg and Anna Strasberg.
Growing up, Barrymore often became headlines for her wild partying, drug
addiction, and suicide attempt. After being rehabilitated, 14-year-old Barrymore
published her co-written book, Little Girl Lost (contributor Todd Gold). She
also recently shocked fans by confirming she is bisexual.
"Do I like women sexually? Yeah, I do. Totally. I have always considered myself
bisexual. I love a woman's body. I think a woman and a woman together are
beautiful, just as a man and a woman together are beautiful. Being with a woman
is like exploring your own body, but through someone else. When I was younger I
used to go with lots of women. Totally - I love it." Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore, nicknamed D, never completed high school. At age 19, she married
Jeremy Thomas on March 20, 1994 and divorced him six weeks later. In July 2000,
Drew became engaged to comedian Tom Green (MTV's The Tom Green Show) and eloped
to the South Pacific in March 2001. The couple remarried before family members
and friends on July 7, 2001 in a closed ceremony in Malibu, California and
honeymooned in Ireland. Drew and Tom divorced on October 15, 2002.
Full of Romance
Career:
"I believe in fate. I believe that everything happens for a reason, but I think
it's important to seek out that reason - that's how you learn." Drew Barrymore
Participating in auditions since a tiny baby, Drew Barrymore landed her foremost
acting work in a Puppy Choice dog food TV commercial before she reached a year
old. She also appeared on Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies and Rice Krispies
cereal commercials. At age two, Barrymore debuted on the TV movie Suddenly Love
(1978, as a boy) and stepped in to her first big screen work at age four,
playing William Hurt's daughter, Margaret Jessup, in the film version of Paddy
Chayefsky's fantasy novel, Altered States (1980).
Barrymore achieved wide recognition at merely seven years old when godfather and
renowned director Steven Spielberg handed her the role of sweet kid sister
Gertie in the runaway success E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982, alongside Henry
Thomas and Dee Wallace-Stone). The role nabbed her a Young Artist Award for Best
Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. She also became the youngest-ever
host for the NBC hit, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, when she appeared on
the show in November 1982.
In 1984, 9-year-old Barrymore received critical praise for starring as Charlene
'Charlie' McGee, in Mark L. Lester's adaptation of Stephen King's novel, the
thriller Firestarter (with David Keith). She also earned a Golden Globe
nomination for portraying Ryan O'Neal and Shelley Long's daughter, Casey, in
Charles Shyer's drama-comedy, Irreconcilable Differences.
While experiencing a troubled youth, Drew acted in such films as Cat's Eye
(1985), See You in the Morning (1989), Far from Home (1989), and Motorama
(1991). After joining a rehabilitation program, Barrymore returned to the screen
with a bad-girl image in several films including Poison Ivy (1992), Guncrazy
(1992), Wayne's World 2 (1993), The Amy Fisher Story (1993, TV), Bad Girls
(1994), and Batman Forever (1995).
After portraying one of a trio of friends (Drew, Whoopi Goldberg and Mary-Louise
Parker) in Boys on the Side (1995), Barrymore nabbed the role of Casey Becker in
Wes Craven's popular teen horror, Scream (1996, alongside David Arquette and
Neve Campbell). She followed it up with more big-screen work, notably Woody
Allen's musical Everybody Says I Love You (1996) and Adam Park's comedy, Wishful
Thinking (1997). Since then, Barrymore has starred in many romantic comedy hits,
including Frank Coraci's The Wedding Singer (1998, opposite Adam Sandler), Andy
Tennant's adaptation of Charles Perrault's 1729 story, Ever After: A Cinderella
Story (1998, costarring Anjelica Huston), and Dean Parisot's Home Fries (1998).
Behind the screen, Barrymore set up her own production company, Flower Films, in
1998. Under the company, she both starred and produced the blockbusters Never
Been Kissed (1999, costarring Michael Vartan and David Arquette), teamed with
Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu in the movie version of Aaron Spelling's popular 1970s
series Charlie's Angles (2000) and its sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
(2003). The latter two netted her a Blockbuster Entertainment Award and Kids'
Choice Award. Moreover, Barrymore was involved in Richard Kelly's sci-fi
thriller Donnie Darko (2001, starring Jake Gyllenhaal) and Danny DeVito's
comedy, Duplex (2003, with Ben Stiller).
Barrymore added to her acting resume by starring in the films Riding in Cars
with Boys (2001), Freddy Got Fingered (2001), and Confessions of a Dangerous
Mind (2002). In 2004, Barrymore reunited with Adam Sandler in Peter Segal's
romance-comedy, 50 First Dates, for which she won an MTV Movie award.
On February 3, 2004, Barrymore received a star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of
Fame. She subsequently starred with Jimmy Falon in the Farrelly brothers'
adaptation of Nick Hornby's romantic comedy novel, Fever Pitch, in 2005. She
will also join with Eric Bana and Robert Duvall in Curtis Hanson's upcoming
drama-comedy, Lucky You.
"I try to make movies that I would want to go see rather than ones I would just
want to do as an actor. I want people to have movies full of romance and hope
and empowerment, something they can escape into and feel good about. I love
happy endings." Drew Barrymore
Awards:
