Drew Barrymore

Biography: Drew Blythe Barrymore has endured enough in her short life for three lifetimes. Drew has gone from child star, to druggie, to an aspiring adult actress. Drew's career began at 11 months. But she shot to fame as a child star when she co-starred in the 1982 Steven Spielberg film ET. At the age of 7, on November 20, 1982, Drew became the youngest ever guest host of the weekly TV program Saturday Night Live. She performed in a skit where she revealed that she had killed ET. Drew was under so much pressure as a rising child actor that she started drinking alcoholic beverages by the time she was 9, smoking marijuana at 10, and snorting cocaine at 12. Drew later described this part of her life in her 1990 autobiography, Little Girl Lost. Drew overcame her substance abuse problems by the time she entered adulthood. But she hadn't lost her "bad girl" image. Actually Drew became a sex symbol. In the 1990's Drew played a teen seductress in the movie Poison Ivy and posed nude for the January 1995 issue of Playboy. At that time she had also appeared nude in her last five movies. Perhaps one of the most remembered David Letterman shows ever, Drew shocked the normally unflappable host by climbing onto his desk and flashing her breasts at him, as part of a dance for his birthday. Drew continued her career as she grew and matured. She has had many starring roles in romantic comedies, including The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates. Drew's sex appeal has undoubtedly helped her remain in the media spotlight, but she has also established a substantial career behind the scenes. She has produced several films, including the highly successful Charlie's Angels movie adaptation and its sequel Charlie's Angel Full Throttle. More recently Drew has explored more dramatic roles in movies such as Riding in Cars with Boys. In this movie she played a teenage mother in a failed marriage with the drug-addicted father. Drew has now started to receive more notice both as a serious actress, without losing her reputation as a sex symbol and occasional hell-raiser. In 2004 Drew even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Drew Barrymore is a very talented actresses as she has proven today but is also a terrific example of the rise and fall of child actors growing up in the "business."… Expand