Drew Barrymore

Barrymore in 2010, Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

Birth Name: Drew Blyth Barrymore

Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States

Date of Birth: February 22, 1975

Ethnicity:
*father – English, Irish, German
*mother – Hungarian

Drew Barrymore is an American actress, producer, and talk show host. Her films include E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Firestarter (1984), Irreconcilable Differences, Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye, Far from Home (1989), Poison Ivy, Doppelganger: The Evil Within, Bad Girls, Boys on the Side, Mad Love, Batman Forever, Everyone Says I Love You, Scream (1996), Wishful Thinking, The Wedding Singer, Ever After: A Cinderella Story, Home Fries, Never Been Kissed, Titan A.E., Charlie’s Angels (2000), and its sequel; Donnie Darko, Riding in Cars with Boys, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Duplex, 50 First Dates, Fever Pitch (2005), Music and Lyrics, Lucky You, Beverly Hills Chihuahua, He’s Just Not That Into You, Whip It, which she also directed, Everybody’s Fine (2009), Going the Distance, Big Miracle, Blended, Miss You Already, and The Stand In. She also starred on television’s Babes in Toyland (1986), Sketch Artist, The Amy Fisher Story, Olive, the Other Reindeer; Grey Gardens, and Santa Clarita Diet. She has hosted The Drew Barrymore Show since 2020. Drew co-founded production company Flower Films, with Nancy Juvonen.

She is the daughter of actor John Drew Barrymore and model and actress Ildikó Jaid Makó, and comes from a long line of actors on her father’s side, including her grandparents, John Barrymore and Dolores Costello, and her grandfather’s siblings, Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe) and Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe). The original family name Blythe was changed to the stage name Barrymore by her great-grandfather. Her half-brother is actor John Blyth Barrymore. Her half-aunt was actress Diana Barrymore.

Drew’s father was of English, Irish, and German ancestry. Her mother was born in a displaced persons camp in Brannenburg, West Germany, the daughter of Hungarian parents. She was raised in Sherman Oaks and West Hollywood.

Drew has two children with her former husband, art consultant Will Kopelman. Will is the son of businessperson and philanthropist Arie L. Kopelman, and the brother of author and actress Jill Kargman.

An AncestryDNA test whose results were displayed on The Drew Barrymore Show (2023) stated that Drew’s genetic ancestry includes:

*34% Ireland
*19% Eastern Europe & Russia
*19% The Balkans
*6% Northern India

Drew’s paternal grandfather was John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth, the son of actors Maurice Herbert Barrymore, born Herbert Arthur Chamberlayne Blythe, and Georgiana Drew, born Georgiana Emma Drew). Drew’s grandfather John was born in Pennsylvania, and had English and Irish ancestry; some of his family were English people who were born and lived in India. Drew’s great-grandfather Maurice was the son of William Edward Blythe, who was born in Calcutta, India, and was a surveyor for the British East India Company; and of Charlotte Matilda Chamberlayne/Chamberlain, who was born in West Bengal, India. Drew’s great-grandmother Georgianna was the daughter of actors John Drew (born Jonathan Henry Drewland, in Dublin, Ireland) and Louisa Lane Drew (born Louisa Lane, in London, England).

Drew’s paternal grandmother was Dolores Costello (the daughter of actors Maurice Costello, born Maurice George Costello, and Mae Costello, born Mae Altschuk). Dolores was born in Pennsylvania. Maurice was the son of Irish parents, Thomas Costello and Eleanor “Ellen” Fitzgerald. Mae was the daughter of Lewis/Louis Altschuk/Altschuh, who was German, and of Catherine/Catharine/Katherine Rose “Katie” Callender, who was born in England, and had Irish, and possibly English, heritage.

Drew’s maternal grandfather was Antal/Anthony A. Mako (the son of Sandor Mako and Elizabeth/Erzbeth Hargara). Antal was born in Ordas puszta, Bercel, Hungary, and was a designer, who worked with stained glass. Elizabeth was born in Estergom, the daughter of Antal Hargara and Erzbeth Hutt.

Drew’s maternal grandmother was Valeria Jansci (the daughter of Janos Jansci and Susanne Humene). Valeria was born in Budapest, Hungary.

Sources: Genealogy of Drew Barrymore – https://www.geni.com

Genealogy of Drew Barrymore (focusing on her father’s side) – http://www.wikitree.com

Genealogy of Drew’s father – http://www.findagrave.com

Drew’s paternal grandmother, Dolores Costello, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Drew’s paternal great-great-grandfather, Lewis/Louis Altschuk/Altschuh, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Immigration record of Drew’s mother – https://familysearch.org

Obituary of Drew’s maternal grandfather, Antal/Anthony A. Mako – https://www.newspapers.com