Dolores Costello

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Dolores Costello September 17 1903 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 stepmother of John Barrymores daughter Diana by his second wife Blanche Oelrichs the mother of John Drew Barrymore and Dolores Dee Dee Barrymore and the grandmother of John Barrymore III Blyth Dolores Barrymore Brahma Blyth Jessica Barrymore and 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 19091915 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 The two sisters appeared on Broadway together as chlorines 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 Melvilles MobyDick Warner Bros soon began starring her in her own vehicles Meanwhile she and Barrymore became romantically involved and married in 1928 Within a few years of achieving stardom the delicately beautiful blondehaired actress had become a successful and highly regarded film personality in her own right As a young adult her career developed to the degree that in 1926 she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star and had acquired the nickname The Goddess of the Silver Screen Warners alternated Costello between films with contemporary settings and elaborate costume dramas In 1927 she was reteamed with John Barrymore in When a Man Loves an adaptation of Manon Lescaut In 1928 she costarred with George OBrien in Noahs Ark a parttalkie epic directed by Michael Curtiz Costello spoke with a lisp and found it difficult to make the transition to talking pictures but after two years of voice coaching she was comfortable speaking before a microphone One of her early sound film appearances was with her sister Helene in Warner Bross allstar extravaganza The Show of Shows 1929 Her acting career became less a priority for her following the birth of her first child Dolores Ethel Mae DeeDee Barrymore on April 8 1930 and she retired from the screen in 1931 to devote time to her family Her second child John Drew Barrymore was born on June 4 1932 but the marriage proved difficult due to her husbands increasing alcoholism and they divorced in 1935 She resumed her career a year later and achieved some successes most notably in Little Lord Fauntleroy 1936 and The Magnificent Ambersons 1942 She retired permanently from acting following her appearance in This is the Army 1943 again under the direction of Michael Curtiz In 1950 Costello divorced Dr John Vruwink whom she had married in 1939 She spent the remaining years of her life in semiseclusion managing an avocado farm She died from emphysema in Fallbrook California in 1979