Mariclare Costello (born February 3, 1936) is a retired American television, stage, and movie actress. She is a lifetime member of

The Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded ...

. Costello's most notable role was that of Rosemary Hunter Fordwick on the television series ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...

,'' from 1972 to 1977. In 1977, after her role on The Waltons, she played matriarch Maggie Fitzpatrick on the short-lived drama show ''

The Fitzpatricks ''The Fitzpatricks'' is an American drama series which ran on CBS during the 1977–78 season. Tim Brooks; Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present'. 8th ed. Random House Digital; October 14, 20 ...

.'' Costello was born in

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria Metropolitan Area in Centr ...

and earned a B.A. from Clarke College (Iowa; now

Clarke University Clarke University is a private Roman Catholic university in Dubuque, Iowa. The campus is on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River and downtown Dubuque. Clarke offers a broad undergraduate curriculum in 19 academic departments with over 40 m ...

) and a MFA degree from

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U. ...

(Washington, DC). Her first film appearance was in ''

The Tiger Makes Out ''The Tiger Makes Out'' is a 1967 American black comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller, and starring Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson. The plot concerns a kidnapper and his unintended victim. It marked Dustin Hoffman's film debut. Plot Loser Ben Ha ...

'' (1967). In 1970, she appeared on stage in ''

Harvey Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

'' at the ANTA Theatre, in New York City. She is also well remembered for her role as a hippie-vampire in the 1971 cult horror film ''

Let's Scare Jessica to Death ''Let's Scare Jessica to Death'' is a 1971 American independent horror film co-written and directed by John Hancock in his directorial debut, and starring Zohra Lampert, Barton Heyman, Gretchen Corbett, and Mariclare Costello. The film depicts ...

.'' In the 1981

Miloš Forman Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968. Forman ...

film ''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

,'' she portrayed

Emma Goldman Emma Goldman (June 27, 1869 – May 14, 1940) was a Russian-born anarchist political activist and writer. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of th ...

in a scene that was ultimately deleted from the theatrical release, but still included on the DVD.

Personal life

She was married to actor

Allan Arbus Allan Franklin Arbus (February 15, 1918 – April 19, 2013) was an American actor and photographer. He was the former husband of photographer Diane Arbus. He is known for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Sidney Freedman on the CBS television series ...

until his death in 2013. The couple had one child. After her acting career, she was an acting professor at

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit and Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near P ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

Filmography

References

External links

Remembering Jessica: An Interview with Mariclare Costello - July 2011
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Costello, Mariclare 1936 births Actors from Peoria, Illinois Living people American television actresses American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Illinois 20th-century American actresses Clarke University alumni Catholic University of America alumni