Drew Blyth Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress,
film producer and
film director. She is the youngest member of the
Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of
John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was eleven months old. Barrymore made her film debut in
Altered States in 1980. Afterwards, she starred in her breakout role in
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She quickly became one of
Hollywood's most recognized child actresses, going on to establish herself in mainly comic roles.
Following a turbulent childhood which was marked by
drug and
alcohol abuse and two stints in
rehab,
Barrymore wrote the 1990
autobiography,
Little Girl Lost. She successfully made the transition from child star to adult actress with a number of films including the unsuccessful
Poison Ivy,
Bad Girls,
Boys on the Side, and
Everyone Says I Love You. Subsequently, she established herself in
romantic comedies such as
The Wedding Singer and
Lucky You.
In 1995, she and partner Nancy Juvonen formed the production company
Flower Films, with its first production the 1999 Barrymore film
Never Been Kissed. Flower Films has gone on to produce the Barrymore vehicle films
Charlie's Angels,
50 First Dates, and
Music and Lyrics, as well as the cult film
Donnie Darko. Barrymore's more recent projects include
He's Just Not That into You,
Beverly Hills Chihuahua, and
Everybody's Fine. A recipient of a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame, Barrymore appeared on the cover of the 2007
People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful issue.
