The Topic is about John barrymore( american actor born feb 15 1882-may 29 1942) and how he went became one of the greatest Shakespearean actors.

No other actor reached such heights of achievement then fell to such depths as did John Barrymore. At his zenith in the 1920s, he was acclaimed as the greatest Shakespearian actor of his generation. His aristocratic good looks earned him the title of “The Great Profile”. At his nadir in the early 1940s, he parodied himself on radio as a washed-up, drunken actor for much needed cash. Modern audiences can only judge Barrymore's talent on his film appearances since his greatest theatrical triumphs were not recorded for posterity. Luckily for us, he made several outstanding films before his decline in the mid 1930s and in these we can see the extraordinary talent he was. (Martin F. Norden 2008 306pp.)

John Sidney Blyth (or Blythe) was born on February 14 (or 15th), 1882 in Philadelphia. His father, English actor Maurice Blyth used the stage name Barrymore which was also adopted by his children. Barrymore's mother was Georgiana Drew of the famed Drew family of actors who, along with the Blyths, dominated the American theater in the 1800s. The marriage was a tumultuous one with separations and reconciliations. Georgiana Barrymore contracted consumption (tuberculosis) during the run of her successful play The Senator in December 1891. She died two years later, leaving behind three children: Lionel, Ethel, and John who was only eleven. John spent his childhood in various boarding schools or with relatives like his grandmother, the famed actress Louisa Lane Drew, known on the stages as “Mrs. Drew” who owned and managed the Arch Street Theater in Philadelphia. (John Kobler. 2002 401pp)

Growing up in a theatrical family, it would have seemed natural that Barrymore would become an actor, but his first ambition was to become an artist. After being thrown out of Georgetown Preparatory School for being caught in a bordello, he studied art. For a few years, he was able to work as an illustrator for the William Randolph Hearst owned New York Evening Journal, and as a painter but his reckless lifestyle and early alcoholism kept him almost perpetually broke. Finally, in 1903, needing the money, he entered the family business and made his legitimate stage debut in a small part in the play Magda, where he earned an unenthusiastic review from the Chicago Tribune: “The part of Max was essayed by a young actor who calls himself Mr. John Barrymore. He walked about the stage as if he had been all dressed up and forgotten.” John would become a full-time actor in 1905 when he joined his family on a cross-country tour performing various plays.

The following year, 1906, Barrymore found himself in San Francisco en route to a tour of Australia, when the famous earthquake and fire nearly leveled the city. He had fallen asleep after a night on the town at a friend's house and after putting his evening clothes on, he ...