Jaid Barrymore is a German-born actress and the mother of Drew Barrymore, the star of E.T. and host of The Drew Barrymore Show. Born in Germany to Hungarian parents, she had acting roles of her own and helped Drew enter show business as a baby. Their mother-daughter bond later faced years of strain. Today, Drew speaks about both the hurt and the good parts of their shared past.
In this article, you’ll learn about Jaid’s background, her movies, her marriage to John Drew Barrymore, and the choices that shaped Drew’s early career. You’ll also find out why they lived apart for years and how their relationship has changed as adults.
Early Life and Hungarian Family Roots
Jaid Barrymore was born on May 8, 1946, in Brannenburg, a town in Bavaria, Germany. Her birth name was Ildikó Jaid Makó. Her parents were Hungarian, and she was born in a camp for people displaced by World War II, near Munich.
Her family later settled in the United States. She would eventually find work in entertainment and marry into an acting family known across Hollywood.
The Hungarian side of Jaid Barrymore’s family is separate from the Barrymore line. She became part of that famous family through marriage, not by birth.
Her Marriage to John Drew Barrymore
Jaid married John Drew Barrymore, an actor and the son of legendary performer John Barrymore and actress Dolores Costello. His relatives included stage and screen stars Lionel and Ethel Barrymore. The family name had been well known in American theater and film for decades.
Their daughter, Drew Blythe Barrymore, was born in Los Angeles on February 22, 1975. By the time Drew became a child star, her parents were living apart. John was largely absent from her early life, and Jaid took on most of the work of raising her.
Jaid Barrymore and John divorced in the 1980s. The marriage ended, but the Barrymore name stayed with their daughter. Drew would become one of the family’s best-known stars.
Jaid Barrymore’s Acting Career
She took supporting parts in movies over more than two decades. Her acting work was separate from the time she spent helping Drew with auditions.
Her early credits include the comedy Night Shift (1982) and Irreconcilable Differences (1984). She later appeared in Doppelganger (1993), the drama The Last Days of Disco (1998), and Everything’s Jake (2000).
These were not major starring roles. In The Last Days of Disco, she played a character credited as Tiger Lady. In Doppelganger, she played Mrs. Gooding. Her parts were often small, in both drama and comedy.
Other credits include Funny Valentine and Searching for Bobby D, both from 2005. She is also listed as a co-executive producer on This Revolution. Her work was not limited to appearing on screen.
Still, the role that brought her the most public attention was guiding her young daughter’s career. As Drew became famous, Jaid was often seen alongside her at movie events.
How Drew Barrymore Became a Child Star
An Audition Before Her First Birthday
Jaid Barrymore started taking Drew to auditions when she was still a baby. Drew has said that her mother brought her to an audition at 11 months old. That led to a commercial.
Her mother also helped her reach director Steven Spielberg. Drew was cast as Gertie in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). The film made her a star at just seven years old.
In a 2025 interview with AARP, Drew said she had wanted to act and loved much of the work. She also credited her mother with opening those doors. Her memories include joy in acting as well as pain at home.
When Childhood and Hollywood Mixed
After E.T., Drew had work, attention, and access to places most kids never saw. Jaid Barrymore acted as her manager and accompanied her to events.
But the routine of a normal childhood grew harder to keep. Drew later recalled going to New York’s Studio 54 nightclub with her mother when she was young. She also spoke about missing school and spending time in adult settings.
Fame did not give her a steady home life. Drew has described those years as exciting in some ways and unsafe in others. Her mother was the person who helped her get work, but their family life was becoming harder to manage.
Why Drew and Her Mother Separated
Drew struggled with alcohol and drugs while she was still a child. At 13, Jaid Barrymore placed her in a psychiatric facility, where she spent about a year and a half. It was a major break in their lives.
As an adult, Drew has said she understands why her mother felt unable to handle the situation. She has also spoken openly about how difficult that stay was.
At 14, Drew became legally emancipated. Emancipation allowed her to make important decisions for herself without the usual control of a parent. In her memoir Wildflower, she recalled that her mother supported the decision in court.
The legal change gave Drew a fresh start on her own terms. It also meant that mother and daughter would no longer share the same daily life. The distance between them lasted well beyond Drew’s teenage years.
Their Relationship in Drew’s Adult Life
Years Apart and New Boundaries
Growing older did not erase what happened. In a 2014 interview, Drew said she still felt care and sympathy for Jaid, but needed distance. She did not describe the situation as a simple fight that one talk could fix.
Motherhood brought a new view. Drew later had two daughters, Olive and Frankie, with her former husband Will Kopelman. Raising children made her think about her own childhood and the kind of home she wanted to give them.
By 2022, Drew spoke about a healthier connection with her mother. She said they sometimes needed breaks from one another. Those limits were part of how they could keep contact without falling back into old patterns.
The 2023 Comments That Drew Corrected
Their relationship drew fresh attention in June 2023. After a magazine interview, some headlines claimed Drew had said she wanted her mother to die.
Drew quickly rejected that claim. She explained that she was talking about the hard work of healing while a parent is still alive, not wishing for that parent’s death.
Around that time, she also shared a warmer moment. She had sent Jaid a birthday message and received a reply expressing love and pride. It meant a great deal to Drew. The exchange showed there was still affection despite the hurt.
A More Peaceful Connection in 2025
In a 2025 interview with Us Weekly, Drew described a friendly way of keeping in touch. She said they could call or text each other and spoke on holidays.
She also gave her mother credit for the books, humor, and early work opportunities that shaped her life. That did not mean she approved of every choice Jaid had made. It meant she could value what was good without ignoring what had hurt.
A family moment made that point even clearer. Drew said her younger daughter, Frankie, asked whether she had thanked her mother for taking her to auditions. Frankie understood that those trips helped make Drew’s career possible.
Where Is Jaid Barrymore Today?
Jaid turned 80 on May 8, 2026. Her movie roles belong mainly to earlier decades, and she no longer has the public profile she once had beside her daughter.
Drew’s more recent comments point to a relationship with room for phone calls, texts, and holiday contact. They do not suggest that mother and daughter now spend every day together.
She is also a grandmother through Drew’s daughters, Olive and Frankie. The public side of the family story now comes mostly through Drew, who speaks about it with more calm and care than she did when she was younger.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jaid Barrymore’s real name?
She was born Ildikó Jaid Makó in Bavaria, Germany, on May 8, 1946. Her parents were Hungarian.
Is Jaid Barrymore an actress?
Yes. Her film credits include Night Shift, Doppelganger, The Last Days of Disco, and Searching for Bobby D. She also worked behind the scenes in film.
Who was Jaid Barrymore married to?
She was married to actor John Drew Barrymore. They were the parents of Drew Barrymore and divorced in the 1980s.
Are Drew Barrymore and her mother still in contact?
Yes. Drew said in 2025 that they speak on holidays and can call or text. She has also explained that their relationship works better with clear boundaries.
Why did Drew Barrymore become emancipated?
After a troubled childhood and time in treatment, Drew sought legal independence at 14. Her mother supported the court decision, which let Drew make her own choices.
Final Thoughts
Jaid Barrymore had a small acting career of her own, and she helped her daughter enter Hollywood at an early age. Drew’s success brought fame, but it also came with a childhood that lacked safety and steady rules.
As an adult, Drew has spoken about the pain she felt, the help she received, and the limits that now make contact possible. Their story has changed with time. It includes both the cost of growing up in public and the effort of two people to stay in touch years later.
You may also read: Chimene Diaz: Cameron Diaz’s Sister, Real Estate Career and Life Today, another look at family life beyond a familiar Hollywood name.
