Helene Costello (June 21, 1906 â€" January 26, 1957) was an American
stage and film actress, most notably of the silent era.Born in New
York City, Costello was the youngest daughter of the prominent stage
and pioneering film actor Maurice Costello and his actress wife Mae
Costello (née Altschuk). She had an older sister Dolores who also
became an actress and would go on to marry John Barrymore. Costello
first appeared on screen, opposite her father, in the 1909 film
adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. She would continue acting
in films throughout the 1910s as a child actor and also worked in
vaudeville and appeared in stage roles. In 1924, she appeared with her
sister Dolores in George White's Scandals. Shortly thereafter, both
sisters signed contracts with Warner Bros. Costello reached her peak
of public popularity in the mid-1920s and earned a reported $3,000 a
week.Although she had been appearing on screen since her early
childhood, Costello was selected as a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1927, a
promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion
Picture Advertisers in the United States, which honored thirteen young
women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie
stardom. In 1928, Costello co-starred in the first all-talking
full-length feature film Lights of New York. Later that same year, she
was released from her contract with Warner Bros. after she refused to
star as a leading lady opposite Rin Tin Tin. Costello's final
substantial role was opposite her sister Dolores in the all-star
Technicolor musical revue The Show of Shows (1929). Costello and her
sister performed in the "Meet My Sister" musical number.After the
advent of sound, Costello's career declined reportedly because her
voice did not record well. She was also beset with personal problems
including illnesses, an addiction to drugs and alcohol, three
divorces, a public custody battle with her third ex-husband and
financial difficulties. From 1930 to 1934, Costello did not appear in
a film. In September 1935, she signed a contract with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and returned to the screen in a supporting role in
Riffraff (1936). Her final role was a bit part in the 1942 film The
Black Swan. Later in 1942, Costello filed for bankruptcy.
stage and film actress, most notably of the silent era.Born in New
York City, Costello was the youngest daughter of the prominent stage
and pioneering film actor Maurice Costello and his actress wife Mae
Costello (née Altschuk). She had an older sister Dolores who also
became an actress and would go on to marry John Barrymore. Costello
first appeared on screen, opposite her father, in the 1909 film
adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. She would continue acting
in films throughout the 1910s as a child actor and also worked in
vaudeville and appeared in stage roles. In 1924, she appeared with her
sister Dolores in George White's Scandals. Shortly thereafter, both
sisters signed contracts with Warner Bros. Costello reached her peak
of public popularity in the mid-1920s and earned a reported $3,000 a
week.Although she had been appearing on screen since her early
childhood, Costello was selected as a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1927, a
promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion
Picture Advertisers in the United States, which honored thirteen young
women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie
stardom. In 1928, Costello co-starred in the first all-talking
full-length feature film Lights of New York. Later that same year, she
was released from her contract with Warner Bros. after she refused to
star as a leading lady opposite Rin Tin Tin. Costello's final
substantial role was opposite her sister Dolores in the all-star
Technicolor musical revue The Show of Shows (1929). Costello and her
sister performed in the "Meet My Sister" musical number.After the
advent of sound, Costello's career declined reportedly because her
voice did not record well. She was also beset with personal problems
including illnesses, an addiction to drugs and alcohol, three
divorces, a public custody battle with her third ex-husband and
financial difficulties. From 1930 to 1934, Costello did not appear in
a film. In September 1935, she signed a contract with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and returned to the screen in a supporting role in
Riffraff (1936). Her final role was a bit part in the 1942 film The
Black Swan. Later in 1942, Costello filed for bankruptcy.
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