Juana de Dios Castrello, better known as Diosa Costello (April 23, 1913 – June 20, 2013), was a Puerto Rican entertainer, performer, producer and club owner,
by Frederic Gleach often referred to as "the Latin Bombshell".

Early life

Costello was born Juana de Dios Castrello y Cruz in Guayama, Puerto Rico on April 23, 1913, although 1917 is often incorrectly sourced.

Career

After performing for some time at various venues in

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the east ...

, she paired with

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986), known as Desi Arnaz, was a Cuban-American actor, musician, producer, and bandleader. He played Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Love Lucy'', in whi ...

at the

La Conga LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

club. Costello debuted on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in '' Too Many Girls'' (1939), which was directed by

George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the ...

. Costello is often erroneously cited as the first Latina to appear on the Broadway stage; however

Lupe Vélez María Guadalupe "Lupe" Villalobos Vélez (July 18, 1908 – December 14, 1944) was a Mexican actress, singer, and dancer during the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Vélez began her career as a performer in Mexican vaudeville in the early 1920s ...

had three Broadway credits before Costello's 1939 Broadway debut. ''Too Many Girls'' was chosen to be made into a film, however, Costello decided not to go with the film because she "never liked traveling much" and stayed in New York. She also appeared on Broadway in the 1941 musical revue ''Crazy in the Heat'', and in 1951 she replaced

Juanita Hall Juanita Hall (née Long, November 6, 1901 – February 29, 1968) was an American musical theatre and film actress. She is remembered for her roles in the original stage and screen versions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals '' South Pacific' ...

in the role of Bloody Mary in the original Broadway production of ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

''.

The Smithsonian The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, education and research centers, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trus ...

filmed an interview with Costello in 2006. She died in her sleep on June 20, 2013, at the age of 100 in Hollywood, Florida.

Personal

She was married to

Pupi Campo Jacinto "Pupi" Campo (May 1, 1920 – December 12, 2011) was a Cuban entertainer, dancer and bandleader who spent most of his life in the United States. As a bandleader in the 1940s and 50s, he made recordings for labels such as Seeco and Tico. ...

and Italian singer Don Casino.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1913 births 2013 deaths American women centenarians Puerto Rican women centenarians Puerto Rican stage actresses People from Guayama, Puerto Rico 20th-century Puerto Rican actresses {{US-entertainer-stub