Elaine Barrie, 87; Actress Was Widow of John Barrymore

Elaine Barrie, 87, who had a tumultuous, highly publicized romance with actor John Barrymore and became his fourth wife, died March 1 in New York City. The cause of death was not reported.

The couple’s first interaction occurred in 1935, when Barrie, then 19 and a student at Hunter College, wrote a letter to Barrymore -- 35 years her senior -- while the actor was hospitalized in Manhattan. The two became close, referring to each other with Shakespearean names taken from “The Tempest,” and sharing a voyage on his yacht.

As an actress, Barrie is credited with only one full-length film, “Midnight,” in 1939. She and Barrymore appeared in one play, “My Dear Children,” which included a scene in which he held her in his lap and spanked her.

Barrie was born Elaine Jacobs, the daughter of a traveling salesman. She first saw Barrymore in the 1931 film “Svengali” and vowed to marry him.

Their relationship became the talk of America during the Depression.

Their marriage, which included at least four public separations, lasted less than four years.

She was the only one of Barrymore’s four wives to attend his funeral in 1942.