Drew Barrymore Biography

Name

Drew Barrymore

Date of Birth

February 22, 1975

Birth Place

Los Angeles, Calif.

Relationships

Justin Long, boyfriend (2007 to present; on and off) Spike Jonze, ex-boyfriend (2007) Fabrizio Moretti, ex-boyfriend (2002 to 2007) Tom Green, ex-husband (1999 to 2001) Luke Wilson, ex-boyfriend (1996 to 1999) Jeremy Thomas, ex-husband (Feb. 1994 to May 1994)

1976

January

Just a Pup

An 11-month-old Barrymore makes her acting debut in a Puppy Chow commercial. She comes from a long line of famous Barrymore stage and screen actors, including her grandfather John, great-aunt Ethel and great-uncle Lionel, although her relationship with father John Drew Barrymore – whom her mother left while pregnant with Drew – will be a cold one for most of her life. Her first memory of him, she tells PEOPLE, is when he threw her, then three, against a wall during a drunken fit. "I couldn't figure out how to deal with him," she says.

1982

June 11

Out of this World

Called a "natural ham" by director Steven Spielberg, Barrymore is cast as Gertie in E.T., which becomes the fourth-most successful film in history. "One day I was a little girl, and the next day I was being mobbed by people who wanted me to sign my autograph or pose for pictures or who just wanted to touch me," she tells PEOPLE in 1989. "I was this 7-year-old who was expected to be going on a mature 29."

1985

February 22

Grownup Celebration

Barrymore dances until 2 a.m. at New York City nightclub Limelight for her 10th birthday. "I was a club-hopper at 10, as much as a 10-year-old can be," she tells PEOPLE in 1989. "I would sleep over at a friend's house, and we would sneak out."

1988

June

Get Help, ASAP

Barrymore has her first drink at 9, begins smoking pot at 10, and takes cocaine at 12. Her mom checks her into ASAP Family Treatment Center, a private drug and alcohol rehab hospital. She stays 12 days before leaving to film Far from Home. After 85 sober days, she does cocaine in a New York nightclub bathroom. She steals her mom's credit card and flies to L.A. Her mom hires private agents that force her back into ASAP.

1989

October

Teach Your Children Well

Barrymore slashes her wrist with a kitchen knife in July and is sent to rebab for a three-month stint. Afterwards, she spends three months with musician David Crosby and his wife, Jan Dance, both survivors of alcohol and drug abuse. "I didn't want to see her go down the tubes," Crosby tells PEOPLE. "She needed to be around some people that were committed to sobriety." Barrymore never relapses again and chronicles her struggles in the 1990 autobiography Little Girl Lost.

1991

February 11

Emancipation Proclamation

Fifteen-year-old Barrymore successfully petitions juvenile court for an emancipation decree, which makes her a legal adult with the same rights and privileges as an 18-year-old. Barrymore also moves into her own apartment in L.A.. "That's been a huge big deal," she tells PEOPLE. "But I think my mom and I have worked out the move. It's not like I don't see her or talk to her every day."

1994

March 20

The Surreal Life

L.A. bar-owner Jeremy Thomas, 31, and Barrymore, 19, get hitched after dating for six weeks. A minister-psychic-private detective – found via a 24-hour wedding hotline – presides over the ceremony inside Thomas' bar The Room. "We're trying to figure out (living arrangements) now," she tells PEOPLE. "Usually people live together first and then get married. I guess we're doing it the old-fashioned way. Kind of." She files for divorce less than two months later.

1995

April 12

Northern Exposure

During an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Barrymore talks about her striptease experience at a Manhattan bar and coyly asks Letterman if he'd like so see her dance. With her back to the camera, she jumps on his desk and flashes her breasts to the surprised host, who is celebrating his 48th birthday. "I can't thank you enough for that," he replies.

1997

October 17

Best Man

After being named one of PEOPLE's 50 Most Beautiful, Barrymore stars as Luke Wilson's wife in the wedding/bank robbery comedy Best Men; they appear together in 1998's Home Fries. "From the moment I saw him, I realized he was the most incredible person I'd ever been so fortunate to meet," Barrymore tells PEOPLE in 1998. The costars start an offscreen romance, but calls it quits in 1999.

1998

February 13

Funny Girl

In a romantic comedy boom, Barrymore stars in The Wedding Singer as the object of Adam Sandler's affection and 1999's Never Been Kissed, where she goes undercover to high school. The film is also the first title her production company, Flower Films, releases.

1999

November

Comic Timing

After filming a cameo in the Charlie's Angels movie remake, MTV gross-out comedian Tom Green courts costar Barrymore. The couple begins dating, and she stands by Green during his testicular cancer battle. Green proposes to Barrymore on July 8, 2000 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and she accepts his Tiffany engagement ring. "I was a girl with a crush," Barrymore tells Rolling Stone.

2000

October 22

Hello Angels

Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Barrymore karate-chop their way through Charlie's Angels, and Barrymore proves powerful behind the scenes as the movie's executive producer. The threesome reunites for the sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle in 2003. Barrymore even convinces movie star Demi Moore to end her nearly six-year hiatus from films and join the sequel's lineup. "We wrote the part for her and wouldn't accept no for an answer," Barrymore tells USA Today of Moore's ex-Angel gone bad role. "We were willing to do whatever it took. Demi was a huge battle for me that I had to win."

2001

July 07

Fire, Wedding Bells and Divorce

After Barrymore and Green escape from their burning Beverly Hills home after their dog Flossie wakes them, the couple gets hitched at a private Malibu estate in front of 100 guests, including Diaz, Liu, Courteney Love, and Adam Sandler. But in December, after five months of marriage, Green files for divorce. "Drew is a wonderful woman," Green, 30, says in a statement. "I love her very much. I wish our marriage could have worked out." The next day, Barrymore issues her own statement: "I love Tom very much. He has always been a great friend and that won't change."

2002

April

Is This It?

Barrymore, 27, meets Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, 21, at a California concert. The pair quickly hit it off, and by 2004 Barrymore is telling PEOPLE their pairing is "the most positive relationship I've ever been in." The cross-country duo split time between his New York apartment and her L.A. home, skipping many of the high-profile appearances of her past relationships. "We don't walk down the red carpet, and we don't sell out our love," she tells PEOPLE. "That takes a lot of the pressure off us because we don't care what people think."

2004

October 27

The Red Sox Curse

Baseball fans in Boston go crazy as their long-suffering Red Sox win its first World Series title in 86 years. When the team rushes the field following its Game 4 win in St. Louis, Barrymore and actor Jimmy Fallon are with them, filming the closing scene of their movie Fever Pitch. In the original script, the team wasn't in the playoffs, but the writers make quick adjustments based on real-life occurrences. "When they started winning, I was like, 'What if they…no, don't talk about it! That will jinx it,'" Barrymore tells PEOPLE. "Being at the winning game was a life experience."

November 29

Final Closure

After a lifetime of estrangement, Barrymore reunites with her father John as he fights a rare form of bone-marrow cancer. "I don't want to be crippled by things that happened in the past," she tells PEOPLE. "He was a free bird, you know? He couldn't handle being a father." Barrymore visits him during the latter stages of his illness, one time bringing her mother Jaid along to his bedside. "I didn't want to have this closure just for myself," she says. "It was an incredible day."

2007

January 10

Fab No More

Months after telling In Style that she's ready to start a family, Barrymore and boyfriend of five years, Fabrizio Moretti, call it quits. But the breakup doesn't break her, as she hosts Saturday Night Live in February for the fifth time and hangs out with newly single gal pal Cameron Diaz. "I think being independent and strong and happy on your own and by yourself, it's probably what will make you a better lover," she tells PEOPLE before reportedly hooking up with Zach Braff and Spike Jonze.

May 07

Most Beautiful Cover Girl

Barrymore graces the cover of PEOPLE's 100 Most Beautiful issue. The 32-year-old actress, who was recently signed as CoverGirl's newest model, considers herself most beautiful "Right after I've worked out and I'm sweating all over the place and my face is two different colors of white and red and my hair is half wet, half dry and I look like I'm about to have a heart attack."

Summer

Drew & Justin Long

While shooting the romantic comedy He's Just Not that Into You, Barrymore begins dating costar Justin Long, who's also known as the Apple computer commercials' "Mac Guy." After calling Barrymore his "girlfriend" on his official website, Long, 29, takes her home to Fairfield, Conn. for Thanksgiving with his family. The couple seem inseparable, but after nearly a year of dating, Barrymore's rep confirms their split.

2008

February

Drew Makes $1M Donation!

The Vogue cover girl gives back in a big way, telling Oprah Winfrey that she is donating $1 million to the World Food Programme to help feed children in Africa. "I have seen with my own eyes what a difference a simple cup of nutritious porridge can make in a child's life," the 33-year-old actress says. "It helps them learn, stay healthy and sets them on track for a bright future."

2009

April 18

Drew's Grey Success

After starring in the ensemble romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You, Barrymore switches gears to portray Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' reclusive first cousin, in the HBO movie Grey Gardens. The film attracts 2.7 million viewers by weekend's end, making it HBO's most watched TV movie since 2004.

Spring

Reuniting with Justin

At the premiere of her HBO flick Grey Gardens, Barrymore cozies up to former flame Justin Long. "I adore him," she says. "And I thank God that my friend supports me the way he does." While neither confirm being back on, they're reuniting onscreen in the upcoming comedy Going the Distance.

October 02

Behind the Camera

Barrymore takes her first shot at directing for Whip It, a coming-of-age comedy starring Juno's Ellen Page who joins an all-girl roller derby team. "I like movies about girls who are capable," she says.

2010

January 17

Golden Girl

Barrymore wins her first Golden Globe for lead actress in a TV movie for HBO's Grey Gardens – which is also named best TV movie. "I've been in the room since I was 7 years old," she gushes during her unprepared acceptance speech. Adding, "As I get older I thank everyone in this room because this is my family." The following week, at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, she takes home the SAG for best actress in a TV.