Elaine Barrie (née Jacobs; July 16, 1915 – March 1, 2003) was an American actress who appeared in several films and one Broadway play. She was the fourth, and last, wife of actor John Barrymore.

Elaine Barrie
Barrie at work in a Wall street brokerage in 1951
Born
Elaine Jacobs

(1915-07-16)July 16, 1915
New York City, U.S.
DiedMarch 1, 2003(2003-03-01) (aged 87)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materHunter College
OccupationActress
Spouse
(m. 1936; div. 1940)

Biography edit

Barrie was the daughter of a traveling salesman named Louis Jacobs.[1] She claimed to have fallen in love with Barrymore in 1931, when she was 16, after seeing his film, the classic Svengali.[2] She met him when, while a sophomore at Hunter College, she visited his hospital room on the pretense of needing to interview a celebrity for a class assignment.[3] They married in 1936 at Yuma, Arizona,[4] but the marriage was a rocky one[5] and they finally divorced in 1940.

In 1937, shortly before her final divorce, she was sued by E. K. Nadel to prevent her from appearing in Dwain Esper's How to Undress in Front of Your Husband, on the grounds that the title had been copyrighted by Sherill C. Coben.[6]

She moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti around 1958, and worked as a handbag designer. She lived in Haiti for an unknown number of years before returning to the United States.[7] Barrie died in New York City at the age of 87.[2]

Filmography edit

Year Title Role Notes
1937
How to Undress in Front of Your Husband Elanie Short film, (credit as Elanie Barrie Barrymore)
How to Take a Bath unconfirmed Short film
1939
Midnight Simone (final film role)

References edit

  1. ^ "Elaine Barrie Just Film Struck, Her Father, Jacobs, Explains". Detroit Free Press. May 26, 1935. p. 1. Retrieved October 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Martin, Douglas (March 4, 2003). "Elaine Barrie, 87, Dies; Married Barrymore". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Morrison, Michael A. (February 13, 1999). John Barrymore, Shakespearean Actor. Cambridge University Press. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-521-62979-9. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  4. ^ "Barrymore, Elaine Barrie Married In Yuma, Ariz". Ludington Daily News. November 7, 1936. p. 1.
  5. ^ "John Barrymore And Elaine Barrie Reconciled Again". Ottawa Citizen. June 21, 1937. p. 1.
  6. ^ "Elaine Barrymore's Title Right Doubted". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. June 13, 1937. p. 7.
  7. ^ "Elaine Barrie Finds The Happy Life". Lakeland Ledger. October 26, 1958. p. 9B.

External links edit