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

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and film actor. Cosmo Bellew in 1925

Biography

Bellew claimed to have been born in London, England, and claimed to be the son of noted stage 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 Urquhart Brown-Potter, Cora Brown-Potter in the 1880s and 1890s, and was cast as the leading man in many s ...

(Kyrle Bellew, at his death, was reported to be "unmarried"- long divorced after a brief marriage- and "survived by a sister", with no mention of a son or any other children). Cosmo Bellew's actual birth date is unclear- no birth record being apparent- with various subsequent official documents giving dates between 1874 and 1883. He immigrated to the United States in 1914, and 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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 List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

by the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

, 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 musical ''Louie the Fourteenth'', and the

Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox. It was the corporate successor to his earlier Greater Ne ...

Summer Bachelors ''Summer Bachelors'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film produced and directed by Allan Dwan. The film is based on the 1926 novel ''Summer Widowers'' by Warner Fabian and stars Madge Bellamy, Matt Moore, Allan Forrest, and Hale H ...

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

Sam Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (; born Szmuel Gelbfisz; ; July 1879 (most likely; claimed to be August 27, 1882) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer and pioneer in the American film industry, who produce ...

. Following this, he appeared in a number of films, although never in a starring role. In 1928 he appeared in '' Hit of the Show'', starring Joe E. Brown, '' 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 Cin ...

'' starring

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor who started his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then emigrated to the United States where he had a highly successful Cinema of the United ...

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 fi ...

'', 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. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

. 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 located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

References

External links

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