Anonymous says on 30/Jun/06
did he ever wear lifts because he has a few inches on lon chaney snr in west of zanzibar, who was 5'9"

Frank2 says on 28/Apr/06
Turner Classic Movies is currently running a Lionel Barrymore festival of old films he did at MGM back when he could stand and walk. In them it's easy to see he was a short man. Just about every other male actor is taller including Lewis Stone who was no more than 5'10" and who I suspect was actually about 5'9" when young and 5'8" by the time he did the Andy Hardy films. Lionel is at least three inches shorter than Stone.

Anonymous says on 3/Apr/06
john looks tallest in that pic, but thats probably worth nothing as you cant see their feet or the ground

Frank2 says on 21/Mar/06
I've studied photos of Lionel and watched almost all of the early movies he was in when he was younger and could stand up and walk. He was no more than 5'7". John was about 5'6".

Anonymous says on 21/Mar/06
He might've shrunk when he got old or is it just because James Stewart was 6'3" and tall.

Frank2 says on 7/Mar/06
I just called my mom (she's 85 years-young!). She worked as an actress in radio with all the Barrymores and she told me that Lionel was short and so was John. Ethel was actually as tall or taller than both Lionel and John. According to my mom, Lionel was mostly in a wheelchair due to severe arthritis, but would sometimes stand up and by the time my mom worked with him which was in the early 1940's he was hardly any taller than she was in her three-inch heels. Back then my mom was 5'4". As far as John, if you take the time to look up photos of him with various other actors you'll see just how short he was. Check out this photo of John with Rudy Vallee and Orson Welles. Rudy was 5'10" and Welles was about 6'.

[Editor Rob: no doubt the guy shrunk, I can't say just how tall he was in the early century...]

Frank2 says on 7/Mar/06
ABSOLUTE NONSENSE!!!! Lionel was 5'7"! His brother John wasn't much taller than 5'6". Stop believing what's published on these worthless official sites.

[Editor Rob: ;-) I knew I would get you to jump all over that height! Did he not do a film with Bob Taylor who you say was 5ft 10, not near 6ft like his draft card?]