Cosmo Bellew

Cosmo Kyrle Bellew (November 23, 1883 – January 25, 1948) was a British-American actor whose career spanned vaudeville, Broadway, and film. Born in London, England, Bellew claimed to be the son of noted stage actor Kyrle Bellew, though that claim was disputed; reports at Kyrle Bellew's death made no mention of a son or any other children, describing him as survived only by a sister. Bellew's actual birth date remains uncertain, as no birth record has been identified and various official documents list dates ranging from 1874 to 1883. He immigrated to the United States in 1914 and launched his performing career in vaudeville, making an early stage appearance in The Devil's Mate in 1915.

In 1917 Bellew enlisted in the British Army and served during World War I. After the war he resumed his theatrical work, appearing in the musical vaudeville piece Somewhere in France in 1918, during which he was stranded in Omaha, Nebraska by the Spanish flu and was forced to work in a meat-packing plant while subsisting on free meals. He appeared in the musicals Dearie and The Canary in 1920, followed by The Boy and Good Morning Judge in 1921.

Bellew's Broadway career ran from 1924 to 1925 and included four productions: the plays The Carolinian, Lass O'Laughter, and The Havoc, as well as the musical Big Boy. In 1925 he married Anita Blun in Greenwich, Connecticut; the couple had no children. That same year he appeared on Broadway, and in 1926 he took the stage in the Ziegfeld musical Louie the Fourteenth while also appearing in the Fox Film production Summer Bachelors, billed as Bachelor No. 3.

In 1927 Bellew relocated to Los Angeles and signed with Sam Goldwyn, transitioning primarily to film work, though he never attained a starring role. His 1928 film appearances included Hit of the Show starring Joe E. Brown, The Bellamy Trial, The Magic Flame with Ronald Colman and Vilma Banky, and Man, Woman and Sin, which starred John Gilbert. Anita Bellew later appeared alongside him in the film Lummox.

Bellew was physically distinctive for a combination of a youthful face and snow-white hair, the latter having turned gray when he was eighteen years old. He was also noted for possessing an excellent singing voice. In his later years he suffered from a heart condition and died at his home in Beverly Hills on January 25, 1948. His wife Anita survived him until May 15, 1960. Both are buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.