Dolores Costello, a renowned actress of the silent era, was once affectionately known as the "Goddess of the Silent Screen". However, she is perhaps most widely recognized today as the grandmother of the talented actress Drew Barrymore. Born in 1905 to a family of actors, Maurice and Mae Costello, Dolores was destined for a life in the spotlight. Her father, Maurice, began his film career in 1908 and quickly became the most popular matinée idol of his time, giving Dolores and her sister Helene their screen debuts in 1911.
Dolores went on to appear in numerous films throughout the 1910s and early 1920s, often alongside her father and sister. She later made her stage debut in the "George White Scandals of 1924" alongside her sister, before being signed by Warner Bros. where she met her future husband, John Barrymore.
The couple starred together in "The Sea Beast" in 1926, during which Dolores famously fainted in John's arms during a lengthy kissing scene. They married in 1928, despite the reservations of Dolores' mother, who would tragically pass away the following year at the age of 45.
Dolores and John had two children, DeDe in 1931 and John Drew Barrymore in 1932. However, her marriage to John was marked by his excessive drinking, and her sister Helene and her husband, Lowell Sherman, eventually convinced Dolores to divorce him in 1935.
After the divorce, Dolores attempted to revive her acting career, appearing in several big-budget films. However, her physical appearance had suffered greatly due to the harsh studio makeup used in the early years of her career, leading to premature retirement.
Dolores spent the latter years of her life in semi-seclusion on her avocado farm, Fallbrook Ranch, in Southern California, where much of the memorabilia and papers from both the Barrymore and Costello families were tragically destroyed in a flood.
