Irene Fenwick (born Irene Frizell; September 5, 1887 â€" December 24,
1936) was an American stage and silent film actress. She was married
to Lionel Barrymore from 1923 until her death in 1936. Fenwick has
several surviving feature films from her productions for the
Kleine-Edison Feature Film Service, which also has numerous surviving
shorts in the Library of Congress.Years before marrying Lionel, Irene
had dated Lionel's brother, John.Frizell was born in Chicago and began
acting in local theater. She had a few chorus roles in London,
including one in a musical comedy that won critics praise for her
"nearly natural performance". In New York she met Broadway producer
Charles Frohman who gave her the stage name Fenwick and the ingénue
role in The Brass Bottle (1910). A vivacious redhead, adept at both
drama and comedy, she had a forceful stage presence that belied her
tiny stature of 4'11". She continued on stage in 1912 opposite Douglas
Fairbanks in Hawthorne of the U.S.A. The following year in the play
The Family Cupboard, she was touted as a young actress with "the tact
and intelligence of a veteran player".
1936) was an American stage and silent film actress. She was married
to Lionel Barrymore from 1923 until her death in 1936. Fenwick has
several surviving feature films from her productions for the
Kleine-Edison Feature Film Service, which also has numerous surviving
shorts in the Library of Congress.Years before marrying Lionel, Irene
had dated Lionel's brother, John.Frizell was born in Chicago and began
acting in local theater. She had a few chorus roles in London,
including one in a musical comedy that won critics praise for her
"nearly natural performance". In New York she met Broadway producer
Charles Frohman who gave her the stage name Fenwick and the ingénue
role in The Brass Bottle (1910). A vivacious redhead, adept at both
drama and comedy, she had a forceful stage presence that belied her
tiny stature of 4'11". She continued on stage in 1912 opposite Douglas
Fairbanks in Hawthorne of the U.S.A. The following year in the play
The Family Cupboard, she was touted as a young actress with "the tact
and intelligence of a veteran player".
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.