The birth of John Drew Barrymore (John Sidney Blyth Barrymore,Jr.) in June, 1932, was hailed among admirers of the Barrymore acting clan as that of a royal prince. The only son of the greatest Barrymore, John, the younger John was the only child born from the famous trio of John, Ethel, and Lionel to carry on the the family surname (Ethel's three children had the name of their father, Colt, and Lionel had no children that reached maturity). John Drew (as he will be referred to in this biography) was the product of John Barrynore's third marriage to actress Dolores Costello. The marriage also produced, John Drew's sister, Delores Ethel Blyth Barrymore. Assumptions were high from his birth, that John Drew Barrymore would follow, in his father's footsteps and carry on the family tradition of acting. John Barrymore and Delores Costello divorced after seven years and John Drew rarely, if ever, saw his father after that. John Drew grew into an extraordinarily handsome young man, and was signed to a film contract at age seventeen. He would make several films and appear on stage before his rebellious nature and proclivity for alcohol and drugs would leave him with a reputation as being unhirable. This plus the fact that he simply did not posses his father's great talent. John Drew had numerous scrapes with the law. He was arrested and jailed for charges ranging from spousal abuse to drunk and disorderly. John Drew Barrymore was married and divorced four times, just like his father. He fathered four children, John Blyth Barrymore, Blyth Barrymore, Drew Barrymore, and Brahma (Jessica) Barrymore, one from each marriage. Drew Barrymore, is the only one that has made has carried the Barrymore name back to prominence in the film community. John Drew Barrymore made a few more films and television appearances in the 1960's and early 1970's. He then began to withdraw from society and sink deeper into alcohol and drug dependency. He became a derelict toward the end of his life and was declared incompetent. Daughter Drew, paid for his care, until he passed away from cancer in 2004. John Drew Barrymore, like his sister Diana, was a tragic example of what has been called "The Barrymore" curse: Looks, money, promising acting career, destroyed by alcohol, drugs, and a total lack of self-motivation for success.