Maurice Costello

Maurice Costello
Born	February 22, 1877(1877-02-22) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died	October 28, 1950(1950-10-28) (aged 73) Hollywood, California
Occupation	actor, director, screenwriter
Years active	1905 - 1945
Spouse	Mae Costello (1902-1927) Ruth Reeves (1939-1941)

Maurice Costello (February 22, 1877 - October 28, 1950) was a prominent vaudeville actor of the late 1890s and early 1900s, who later played a principal role in early American films, as both a leading man, supporting player and a director.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Irish immigrants Thomas Costello (born 1852) and Ellen Fitzgerald (born 1853), Costello appeared in his first motion picture in 1905, in which he had the honour of appearing in the first serious film to feature the character of Sherlock Holmes in the movie Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, in which Costello played the title role. He continued to work for Vitagraph, being a member of the first motion picture stock company ever formed, playing opposite Florence Turner. Among some of his best known pictures are A Tale of Two Cities, The Man Who Couldn't Beat God and For the Honor of the Family. After an absence of some years he returned to the screen. He was married to actress Mae Costello (née Altschuk). His daughters were the actresses Dolores Costello and Helene Costello, grandson John Drew Barrymore, and great granddaughter Drew Barrymore. He was one of the world's first leading men in early American cinema, but sadly, like a lot of other silent screen stars, he found the transition to "talkies" extremely difficult, and his leading man status was over. However, Costello was a trouper, and continued to appear in movies, often in small roles and bit parts, right up until his death in 1950.

Costello died at the age 73 in 1950 in Los Angeles, California and was interred at Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles, a Catholic cemetery^[1].

Selected filmography

• Lady from Louisiana (1941)
• Eagle of the Night (1928)
• Johnny Get Your Hair Cut (1927)
• Virtuous Liars (1924)
• The Crimson Stain Mystery (1916)
• A Tale of Two Cities (1911)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (1909)
• Antony and Cleopatra (1908)

References

1. ^ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pis&PIcrid=7870&PIpi=498261&PIMode=cemetery

External links

• Maurice Costello at the Internet Movie Database
• Biography at Hollywood Heritage

Persondata
Name	Costello, Maurice
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 22, 1877
Place of birth	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date of death	October 28, 1950
Place of death	Hollywood, California