Eldon Lawrence "Don" Costello (September 5, 1901 – October 24, 1945) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio.

Background

Costello was born in New Orleans on September 5, 1901. He was the son of James J. Costello and Mary E. Costello (née Gillen).

Career

In the mid 1920s, Costello was stage manager for the Wright Players in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

. Later in that decade, he acted with the Majestic Players in

Elmira, New York Elmira () is a city and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. The population was 26,523 at the 2020 census ...

. Costello entered films in 1935 and in 1939 was put under contract with MGM. Known for his wicked sense of humor, Costello oftentimes played the role of a menace or a tough guy. He is probably best known for his role as Lefty in the movie '' Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' (1941). He appeared in 37 movies (31 times credited), including '' Another Thin Man'' (1939), '' Johnny Eager'' (1941) and '' The Blue Dahlia'' (1946).

Accidental Death

Costello died of an overdose of sleeping tablets. His wife, Louise, found him dead in the bedroom of their home at 13424 Valley Vista Street, Sherman Oaks. He had earlier complained of being unable to get to sleep.

Broadway roles

* ''Jerry-for-Short'' (1929) - Anthony La Vere * '' The Last Mile'' (1930) - Drake * '' Face the Music'' (1933) - Louis / Mr. O'Ryan * ''The Ghost of Yankee Doodle'' (1937) - Ockleford

Partial filmography

* '' Another Thin Man'' (1939) - 'Diamond Back' Vogel * ''

Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President ''Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Robert B. Sinclair and written by Melville Baker. The film stars Ann Sothern, Lewis Stone, Walter Brennan, William Gargan, Marsha Hunt and Tom Neal. It was r ...

'' (1939) - Fred * '' One Crowded Night'' (1940) - Lefty * ''

Wildcat Bus ''Wildcat Bus'' is a 1940 American action film directed by Frank Woodruff and written by Lou Lusty. The film stars Fay Wray, Charles Lang, Paul Guilfoyle, Don Costello and Paul McGrath. The film was released on August 23, 1940, by RKO Pictures. ...

'' (1940) - Sid Casey * '' Sleepers West'' (1941) - Carl Izzard * ''

Ride on Vaquero ''Ride on Vaquero'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Herbert I. Leeds and written by Samuel G. Engel. The film stars Cesar Romero, Mary Beth Hughes, Lynne Roberts, Chris-Pin Martin, Robert Lowery and Ben Carter. The film was rele ...

'' (1941) - Redge * '' I'll Wait for You'' (1941) - Police Sergeant Brent * '' Here Comes Mr. Jordan'' (1941) - Lefty * '' Whistling in the Dark'' (1941) - 'Noose' Green * '' Last of the Duanes'' (1941) - Jim Bland * '' Unholy Partners'' (1941) - Georgie Pelotti * '' Johnny Eager'' (1941) - Billiken * ''

Joe Smith, American ''Joe Smith, American'' is a 1942 American spy film directed by Richard Thorpe and stars Robert Young and Marsha Hunt.Nixon, Rob"Articles: 'Joe Smith American'."'' Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: September 21, 2016. The film, loosely based o ...

'' (1942) - Mead * '' Sundown Jim'' (1942) - Dobe Hyde * '' A-Haunting We Will Go'' (1942) - Doc Lake * '' Just Off Broadway'' (1942) - George Dolphin * '' A Night to Remember'' (1942) - Eddie Turner * ''

Truck Busters ''Truck Busters'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by B. Reeves Eason, written by Robert E. Kent and Raymond L. Schrock, and starring Richard Travis, Virginia Christine, Charles Lang, Ruth Ford, Richard Fraser, Tod Andrews and Frank Wi ...

'' (1943) - Anthony 'Tony' Bonetti * ''

Air Raid Wardens ''Air Raid Wardens'' is a 1943 comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Laurel and Hardy. It was the first of two feature films the duo made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Plot Set during World War II, just after Pearl Harbor, Stan (Stan La ...

'' (1943) - Heydrich * '' Crime Doctor'' (1943) - Nick Ferris * ''

A Lady Takes a Chance ''A Lady Takes a Chance'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Jean Arthur and John Wayne. Written by Robert Ardrey and based on a story by Jo Swerling, the film is about a New York working girl w ...

'' (1943) - Drunk * '' Murder on the Waterfront'' (1943) - Gordon Shane - 'The Great Rajah' * '' Texas Masquerade'' (1944) - Ace Maxson * ''

Rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...

'' (1944) - Ace (uncredited) * ''

The Whistler ''The Whistler'' is an American radio mystery drama which ran from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955, on the west-coast regional CBS radio network. The show was also broadcast in Chicago and over Armed Forces Radio. On the west coast, it ...

'' (1944) - Lefty Vigran aka Gorss (uncredited) * '' Mystery Man'' (1944) - Bud Trilling * ''

Here Come the Co-Eds ''Here Come The Co-Eds'' is a 1945 American comedy film starring the comedy team Abbott and Costello. Plot Oliver Quackenbush, Molly McCarthy and her brother Slats who acts as her publicity agent work for the Miramar Ballroom as taxi dancers. Sla ...

'' (1945) - Diamond (uncredited) * '' Great Stagecoach Robbery'' (1945) - Jed Quinlan * '' It's in the Bag!'' (1945) - Mickey (uncredited) * '' Nob Hill'' (1945) - Steve, Fighting Bartender (uncredited) * '' Along Came Jones'' (1945) - Leo Gledhill * '' Incendiary Blonde'' (1945) - Gus Vettori (uncredited) * '' Marshal of Laredo'' (1945) - Henchman Pretty Boy Murphy * ''

Follow That Woman ''Follow That Woman'' is a 1945 crime film starring William Gargan, Nancy Kelly, and Regis Toomey. The movie was directed by Lew Landers. Plot summary Nancy spends the evening with her boyfriend at the Downtown Club, a notorious hangout for mem ...

'' (1945) - Nick * ''

The Red Dragon ''The Red Dragon'' is a 1946 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, who has to sift through a host of suspects for three murders. The film marks the first appearance of Willie Best as Chattanooga Brown, Birmingham Brown's cousin. ...

'' (1945) - Charles Masack * '' Crime of the Century'' (1946) - Joe, Bartender * '' The Blue Dahlia'' (1946) - Leo (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Costello, Don 1901 births 1945 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players 20th-century American male actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)