Cosmo Kyrle Bellew (November 23, 1883–January 25, 1948) was a British/American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and film actor. Cosmo Bellew in 1925

Biography

Bellew, the son of noted

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

actor

Kyrle Bellew Harold Kyrle Money Bellew (28 March 1850 – 2 November 1911) was an English stage and silent film actor. He notably toured with Cora Brown-Potter in the 1880s and 1890s, and was cast as the leading man in many stage productions alongside ...

and Alice Racketrow, was born in London, England, and immigrated to the United States in 1914. His actual birth date is unclear, with various official documents giving dates between 1874 and 1883. He began his career as a vaudeville actor, appearing in ''The Devil's Mate'' in 1915. In 1917 he enlisted in the British Army in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Following the war he continued his career in theater, appearing in the musical vaudeville skit ''Somewhere in France'' in 1918, when he was stranded in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

by the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

, and was reduced to working in a meat-packing plant and subsisting on free meals. He appeared in the musicals ''Dearie'' and ''The Canary'' in 1920, and ''The Boy'' and ''Good Morning Judge'' in 1921, In 1926 he appeared on stage in the

Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

musical ''Louie the Fourteenth'', and the

Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

'' Summer Bachelors'' (as Bachelor No. 3). In 1927 he moved to Los Angeles and signed with

Sam Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor a ...

. Following this, he appeared in a number of films, although never in a starring role. In 1928 he appeared in ''

Hit of the Show ''Hit of the Show'' is a 1928 comedy film directed by Ralph Ince and starring Joe E. Brown, Gertrude Olmstead and William Bailey.Quinlan, p. 152 It was originally released as a silent, with some sound added to later versions. Cast See als ...

'', starring

Joe E. Brown Joseph Evans Brown (July 28, 1891 – July 6, 1973) was an American actor and comedian, remembered for his friendly screen persona, comic timing, and enormous elastic-mouth smile. He was one of the most popular American comedians in the 19 ...

, '' The Bellamy Trial'', ''

The Magic Flame ''The Magic Flame'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Henry King, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and based on the 1900 play ''Konig Harlekin'' by Rudolph Lothar. George Barnes was nominated at the 1st Academy Awards for Best Cinem ...

'' starring Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky, and ''

Man, Woman and Sin ''Man, Woman and Sin'' (1927) is a silent film produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was directed by Monta Bell and John Gilbert, and stars Gilbert and stage actress Jeanne Eagels in one of her rare film appearances. The fil ...

'', which starred John Gilbert.

Filmography

Personal

Bellew was notable for his "young face" that was "emphasized by his snow-white hair, it having turned grey at the age of 18." It was also reported that, as a singer, he had an "excellent voice." In 1925 he married Anita Blun in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

. She later appeared with him in ''Lummox''. The couple had no children. In his later years Bellew suffered from a heart condition, and died at home in Beverly Hills on January 25, 1948. Anita died on May 15, 1960. The couple are buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellew, Cosmo 1883 births 1948 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors British emigrants to the United States