John Barrymore

John Sidney Blyth Barrymore (14 February 1882 - 29 May 1942) was a famous American actor, and grandfather of film actress Drew Barrymore. Early in life he was nicknamed "The Profile" for his facial features, and was kicked out of school in 1898 for being caught in a Bordello.
In 1906, when "The Big Earthquake" struck San Francisco and reduced the city to rubble, Barrymore created a fake account of things he had seen there and reported them as eyewitness testimony in order to gain publicity. His ploy worked, and his career was boosted higher than ever, so that later when he confessed to his lie, nobody seemed to care.
His early work in the theatre included plays such as Richard III and Hamlet, and he appeared in over 60 films, including Don Juan, Moby Dick, Sherlock Holms, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barrymore