Cosmo Kyrle Bellew (November 23, 1883–January 25, 1948) was a British/American vaudeville and film actor.
Biography Bellew claimed to have been born in London, England, and claimed to be the son of noted stage actor Kyrle Bellew (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).San Francisco Call, vol. 110, no. 156, 3 Nov. 1911, p. 3 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.
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 by the Spanish flu, 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 Summer Bachelors (as Bachelor No. 3).
In 1927 he moved to Los Angeles and signed with Sam Goldwyn. 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 starring Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky, and Man, Woman and Sin, which starred John Gilbert.
Filmography Year Title Role 1926 Summer Bachelors Bachelor No. 3 1927 The Magic Flame The husband 1927 French Dressing 1927 Man, Woman and Sin (uncredited) 1928 The Hit of the Show Henry Carson 1928 Black Butterflies Judge Davis 1928 Midnight Life Harlan Phillips 1929 Disraeli Mr. Terle (uncredited) 1929 The Bellamy Trial Farwell 1929 Strange Cargo Sir Richard Barclay 1929 The Devil's Apple Tree the roué 1930 Lummox John Bixby 1930 The Second Floor Mystery 1931 The Lady Who Dared Seton Boone-Fleming 1931 The Love Contract Sir George 1933 Design for Living Basington's voice 1934 The Merry Widow escort 1934 Beloved doctor 1934 Behold my Wife! Mr. Lawson 1934 Now I'll Tell Oakley Evans 1934 Riptide 1935 The Perfect Gentleman English fop 1935 Splendor guest at dinner 1935 Here Comes Cookie dignified man 1936 Collegiate 1938 Vogues of 1938 man in tuxedo (uncredited)
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. 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.
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