Drew family

The Drew family is an American multigenerational acting family prominent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The family is best known as the maternal lineage of the Barrymore family, one of the most influential dynasties in American theatre and film history.
Members of the Drew family were among the earliest professional stage actors in the United States, with several achieving national prominence during the development of American theatre in the 19th century.

History

The Drew family's theatrical legacy began with actor John Drew and actress Louisa Lane Drew, both of whom were prominent figures in American stage performance during the mid-19th century. Louisa Lane Drew was also known as a theatre manager and played a significant role in sustaining repertory theatre during a formative period in American dramatic history.
Their descendants continued in the performing arts across multiple generations. Through the marriage of their daughter Georgiana Drew to Maurice Barrymore, the Drew family became directly linked to the Barrymore acting dynasty, uniting two established theatrical families and contributing to a lineage that would dominate American stage acting for decades.

Notable members

John Drew – American stage actor active in 19th-century theatre
Louisa Lane Drew – Actress and theatre manager
Georgiana Drew – Actress; mother of Lionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore
John Drew Jr. – Stage actor and prominent leading man of the late 19th century
Sidney Drew – Actor, comedian, and film director active in theatre and early cinema
Louise Drew – Actress active in American theatre

Relationship to the Barrymore family

The Drew family represents the maternal branch of the Barrymore family. Georgiana Drew’s marriage to Maurice Barrymore connected two independently established theatrical families, a union frequently cited by theatre historians as foundational to the emergence of the Barrymore acting dynasty in American cultural history.