Biography

William Barrymore was born on August 17, 1899 in Russia. He was an actor, known for Cowboy Courage (1925), The Mansion of Mystery (1927) and The Grey Streak (1927). He was married to Blanche Fowler. He died on April 23, 1979 in San Diego, California, USA.

Father of Dick Barrymore.

His real name was Elia Bulakh. He was a Cossack in the army of Tsar Nicholas II when the Russian revolution broke out in 1917. Captured by Bolshevik troops in Siberia, he was thrown in a cell with eight other White Russian soldiers to await execution. His cellmates eventually died, and he was given a half-empty can of beef as his last meal before he was to be shot. He broke off the lid, sharpened it, sneaked up behind a guard, cut his throat with it and escaped. He made his way to China and then to the US, where he settled in Los Angeles and eventually became an actor. He at first used the name Boris Bullock, but a director on one of his westerns changed it to William Barrymore, hoping to make audiences think he was a member of the famous acting family.

Upon his death, his remains were interred at Cypress View Mausoleum and Crematory in San Diego, CA.