Dolores Costello (September 17, 1903[note 1] â€" March 1, 1979) was an
American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era
of silent movies. She was nicknamed "The Goddess of the Silent
Screen". She was married to actor John Barrymore, the mother of John
Drew Barrymore, and the grandmother of Drew Barrymore.Dolores Costello
was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the daughter of actors Maurice
Costello and Mae Costello (née Altschuk). She was of Irish and German
descent. She had a younger sister, Helene, and the two made their
first film appearances in the years 1909â€"1915 as child actresses for
the Vitagraph Film Company. They played supporting roles in several
films starring their father, who was a popular matinee idol at the
time. Dolores Costello's earliest listed credit on the IMDb is in the
role of a fairy in a 1909 adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer
Night's Dream.The two sisters appeared on Broadway together as
chorines and their success resulted in contracts with Warner Brothers
Studios. In 1926, following small parts in feature films, she was
selected by John Barrymore to star opposite him in The Sea Beast, a
loose adaptation of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. Warner Bros. soon
began starring her in her own vehicles. Meanwhile, she and Barrymore
became romantically involved and married in 1928.
American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era
of silent movies. She was nicknamed "The Goddess of the Silent
Screen". She was married to actor John Barrymore, the mother of John
Drew Barrymore, and the grandmother of Drew Barrymore.Dolores Costello
was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the daughter of actors Maurice
Costello and Mae Costello (née Altschuk). She was of Irish and German
descent. She had a younger sister, Helene, and the two made their
first film appearances in the years 1909â€"1915 as child actresses for
the Vitagraph Film Company. They played supporting roles in several
films starring their father, who was a popular matinee idol at the
time. Dolores Costello's earliest listed credit on the IMDb is in the
role of a fairy in a 1909 adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer
Night's Dream.The two sisters appeared on Broadway together as
chorines and their success resulted in contracts with Warner Brothers
Studios. In 1926, following small parts in feature films, she was
selected by John Barrymore to star opposite him in The Sea Beast, a
loose adaptation of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. Warner Bros. soon
began starring her in her own vehicles. Meanwhile, she and Barrymore
became romantically involved and married in 1928.
Share this

SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.