Maurice Costello

Birthday: February 22nd, 1877 Date of Death: October 29th, 1950 Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

From Wikipedia

Maurice George Costello (February 22, 1877 – October 29,

1950)[1] was an American prominent vaudeville actor of the late 1890s and early

1900s, who later played a principal role in early American films, as both a

leading man, supporting player and a director.

Costello was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Irish

immigrants Ellen and Thomas Costello. He appeared in his first motion picture

in 1905, in which he had the honour of appearing in the first serious film to

feature the character of Sherlock Holmes in the movie Adventures of Sherlock

Holmes, in which Costello played the title role. He continued to work for

Vitagraph, being a member of the first motion picture stock company ever

formed, playing opposite Florence Turner. Among some of his best known pictures

are A Tale of Two Cities, The Man Who Couldn't Beat God and For the Honor of

the Family. After an absence of some years he returned to the screen. He was

married to actress Mae Costello (née Altschuk). His descendants include two

daughters, actresses Dolores Costello and Helene Costello, a grandson John Drew

Barrymore, and a great granddaughter Drew Barrymore. He was one of the world's

first leading men in early American cinema, but like a lot of other silent

screen stars, he found the transition to "talkies" extremely

difficult, and his leading man status was over. However, Costello was a

trouper, and continued to appear in movies, often in small roles and bit parts,

right up until his death in 1950.