He made his Broadway debut in December 1875 in Pique; in the cast was a young actress, Georgiana Drew. Maurice and Georgiana had been introduced earlier by her brother John Drew Jr. who had befriended Maurice when he first arrived in America. After a brief courtship Maurice & `Georgie` married on December 31, 1876, and had three children: Lionel (b.1878), Ethel (b.1879), and John (b.1882). According to a 2004 A&E Biography piece, the marriage, happy at first, became rocky as Maurice indulged in numerous affairs. Georgie even filed for divorce, but they reconciled. He asked her to tour with him and Helena Modjeska in a play he wrote; Georgie and the children had converted to Roman Catholicism under Helena`s influence. Learning that he and Helena had resumed their romance, Georgie, who had been given ownership of the play by Maurice, forced her hand by closing it. Helena`s husband, its producer, sued her. The real reason for Georgie`s actions never got into the press. Georgiana died July 2, 1893 from consumption, and Barrymore re-married exactly one year after her death to Mamie Floyd much to Ethel`s consternation.