Cosmo Kyrle Bellew (November 23, 1883–January 25, 1948) was a British/American vaudeville and film actor.
Bellew, the son of noted silent film actor Kyrle Bellew and Alice Racketrow, was born in London, England, and immigrated to the United States in 1914. His actual birth date is unclear, with various official documents giving dates between 1874 and 1883. He 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:123 |
| 1934 | The Merry Widow | escort:127 |
| 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. Anita 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 passed away on May 15, 1960. The couple are buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
