She belongs to Hollywood royalty. The Barrymore surname has roots in the English theatrical scene of the mid-19th century and after settling in the United States, it began to flourish not only on Broadway stages, but also as the film industry was taking its first steps. The leading figures of that era were Ethel, Lionel, and John, from whom Drew Barrymore directly descends, the loving girl from ET (1982) who turned 50 this Saturday.
But in Drew's family tree, mention must also be made of another film beauty: Dolores Costello, her grandmother. Likewise, the Costellos left their mark in the vaudeville scene of the late 19th century.
Looking at it from all angles, Drew Barrymore is touched by a magical wand. In addition to her lineage, it should be noted that her godparents are Steven Spielberg, Sophia Loren, and Anne Strasberg. She is also the godmother of Frances Bean (daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love), her close friend is Cameron Diaz, and she was brought into the world by Dr. Paul M. Fleiss, father of Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss who once threatened to reveal all the famous names in her agenda. Dr. Fleiss was also the pediatrician who announced the birth of Lourdes Leon, Madonna's daughter.
Drew Barrymore's debut was on television with the movie Suddenly, Love (1978), although she was not credited. She appeared in the credits for the first time in a film at the age of six with Altered States (1979), but it wasn't until three years later that she achieved worldwide popularity with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, for which she earned 75,000 dollars. In between, she became, and still is, the youngest host of Saturday Night Live, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Since then, she has acted in around fifty films with significant paychecks, including Scream (1996) for 500,000 dollars, Ever After (1998) for three million dollars, Charlie's Angels (2000) for nine million, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) for 14 million plus 12% of the gross box office revenue, and Music and Lyrics (2007) for 15 million. On television, she starred in the series Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2019) and has been successful with her own show,The Drew Barrymore Show, for the past five years.
Although it may be hard to believe, in her early teens, she was addicted to alcohol and drugs with the consent of her parents, but "my mother forbade me from having sugar to avoid gaining weight." The traumatic relationship with her parents led her to seek emancipation at the age of 15. She confessed about that dark period of her life that at 7 years old she had ice cream with a splash of Baileys, at 9 she toasted with Hollywood stars, at 10 she smoked her first joint, at 12 she was already addicted to cocaine, and at 13 her mother committed her to a psychiatric hospital.
In an interview on CBS four years ago, she stated, "I am working on finding a good path for peace where there used to be demons." Since then, and for three decades, she has been in therapy, which has allowed her to chase away the demons, restructure her life, and learn to explore herself.
For Drew, the role of mother has always been revered, so since she gave birth to Olivia (12) and Frankie (10), she has showered them with much love, trust, and protection. The girls are the result of her third marriage to Will Kopelman, from whom she divorced in 2016.
Her first marriage was a whirlwind. She married Jeremy Thomas, a bar owner, six weeks after meeting him, and they separated 19 days later. Her second marriage also didn't last long, as with actor and comedian Tom Green, she said "I do" in July 2001 and they separated in December of the same year, citing irreconcilable differences. After two decades without seeing each other, the actress invited him to The Drew Barrymore Show. They embraced affectionately.