Lionel Barrymore (April 28, 1878 - November 15, 1954), original name: Lionel Blythe, was an American actor of stage, radio and film, elder brother of Ethel and John Barrymore. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died in Van Nuys, California.
Barrymore made a name for himself on stage before going to Hollywood in 1924. He won an Oscar in 1931 for best actor in Free Soul , after having been nominated in 1930 for best director for Madame X.
He played the irascible Doctor Gillespie in a series of Doctor Kildare and Doctor Gillespie movies in the 1930s and 1940s. Years later, after breaking his hip twice, he was confined to a wheelchair, but still acted. He is perhaps currently best known as Mr. Potter, the miserly banker, in It's a Wonderful Life, 1946.
Lionel Barrymore is entombed in the Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street.
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