An adorable child star who overcame an out-of-control adolescence and reclaimed her post as America's mischievous but pure-hearted sweetheart, Drew Barrymore rode a career rollercoaster spanning two decades before the age of 25. The product of an acting dynasty that runs from great-great-grandmother Louisa Lane Drew through grandfather John Barrymore, the youngest Barrymore showed promise from the start, appearing in commercials before the age of one. While her lineage was responsible for some notice, the saccharine-free sweetness of her performance as little Gertie in the 1982 classic "ET, The Extra-Terrestrial" won Barrymore acclaim reserved for the truly talented. Her watchability propelled many a subsequent film, including the otherwise unremarkable Stephen King adaptations "Firestarter" (1984) and "Cat's Eye" (1985). A victim of 1980s Hollywood lifestyle, Barrymore had too much too soon, and began to attract less attention for her acting than for the increasingly sordid tabloid stories about her pre-adolescent addictions to drugs and alcohol. After undergoing rehab and—another Barrymore tradition—publishing a memoir, "Little Girl Lost" (1989), the resilient teen made an impressive comeback in the early 90s, riding a wave of both celebrity and controversy.Still possessing the angelic glow of her childhood, but with an added air of trouble, Barrymore portrayed Lolita-like teens in "Poison Ivy" (1992), "Guncrazy" (1992) and the ABC-TV movie "The Amy Fisher Story" (1993), based on the sordid case of the Long Island teenager who shot the wife of her former lover. The actress returned to big-budgeted features with the disappointing Western "Bad Girls" (1994), then was cast alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Mary-Louise Parker in the touching "Boys on the Side" (1995), a female road movie that capitalized on Barrymore's undeniable charm, and showcased an acting depth that had not previously been completely realized. In 1995, she took on two other disparate roles, first playing a suicidal teen opposite Chris O'Donnell in the sweetly acted if critically panned "Mad Love,” followed by a cameo role as the glitzy but inherently childlike femme fatale Sugar in "Batman Returns,” a Marilyn Monroe inspired character that it seemed Barrymore was born to play. This role reunited her with Joel Schumacher, a big supporter of hers who gave her a break on the enjoyable "2000 Malibu Road,” a short-lived trashy soap on CBS in 1992.
During her post-rehab comeback, Barrymore reappeared in the gossip columns with colorful extracurricular antics. Unlike her previous drug related escapades, the young woman seemed much more in control of every situation, with some spontaneous free-spirited nudity ranking as the most shocking of her activities. Among the more memorable capers was a birthday dance for bemused talk show host David Letterman which culminated in her flashing her breasts for Dave's eyes only. Barrymore additionally garnered much newsprint by stripping on stage at a trendy New York performance space and posing for Playboy. In another movie star rite-of-passage, she endured a month-long marriage to a Welsh bar owner. Audiences responded positively to her carefree spirit and the harmless stunts that peppered the actress' road to adulthood.
Blonde and beautiful, with a warm, open smile and a somewhat devilish fire in her eyes, Barrymore certainly looks like the perfect American icon, a fact not lost on director Wes Craven who hired her for a pivotal role in his tongue-in-cheek slasher flick "Scream" (1996). As the biggest name in the cast, Barrymore brilliantly opted for the role of the first victim, helping to establish the film as a new thriller experience, bucking the preset conventions of the horror genre. She followed with a turn in the ensemble of Woody Allen's odd musical "Everyone Says I Love You" (1996), gracefully and sympathetically portraying a tony New York City daughter of privilege, reminding audiences and co-stars alike of her Hollywood royalty roots. (Although unlike her co-stars, her singing voice was dubbed by a professional.) Barrymore had a popular hit with 1998's "The Wedding Singer,” perfectly playing the sweetly captivating Julia opposite Adam Sandler in this enjoyable 1980s-set romantic comedy.
Also in 1998, the actress happily took on Cinderella in "Ever After,” embroidering the story with a female empowering modern sensibility. Barrymore was thrilled with the character, a smart, sensitive, but staunch young woman dealing with family issues, as well as the structure of the film, which differed from the traditional beautiful girl with ugly oppresso