Dolores Costello: Movies & Filmography

Dolores Costello (September 17, 1903 – March 1, 1979) was an American film actress whose career spanned the silent era and the early years of sound pictures, earning her the affectionate nickname “The Goddess of the Silent Screen” from her first husband, legendary actor John Barrymore. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a theatrical family—her parents Maurice Costello and Mae Costello (née Altschuk) were both actors—Dolores entered the world of cinema as a child, appearing with her sister Helene for the Vitagraph Film Company from 1909 to 1915. After a brief stint on Broadway as a chorus line dancer, Warner Bros. signed the talented twins, and Dolores quickly rose to prominence, becoming a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1926 and co‑starring with Barrymore in The Sea Beast. Her delicate features and graceful screen presence made her a favorite in both contemporary dramas and lavish costume productions, such as When a Man Loves (1927) and the part‑talkie epic Noah’s Ark (1928). The transition to talkies proved challenging because of a mild lisp, but after two years of voice coaching she delivered solid performances, including the all‑star revue The Show of Shows (1929). Motherhood shifted her priorities; she gave birth to daughter Dolores Ethel Mae "DeeDee" Barrymore in 1930 and son John Drew Barrymore in 1932, prompting a brief retirement in 1931. After divorcing Barrymore in 1935, she returned to the screen, delivering memorable roles in Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) and Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) before her final appearance in This Is the Army (1943. In later life she managed an avocado farm in Fallbrook, California, and suffered the effects of early film makeup on her complexion. She died of emphysema in 1979, leaving behind a legacy that includes a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a famous acting lineage that continues through her granddaughter, Drew Barrymore.