RIP Mariclare Costello

 

Mariclare Catherine Costello Arbus

Peoria Journal Star

April 23, 2026

 

Mariclare Catherine Costello Arbus passed away on the morning of Friday, April 17, 2026, in Brooklyn, NY, at the age of 90.

She was born in 1936 in Peoria, Illinois, and was the youngest of three sisters. Her mother, Margaret Feeney Costello, was secretary to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives in Peoria and Springfield, and a passionate restorer of furniture and collector of antiques, silverware and dishes. Her father, Dallas Monroe Costello, was a civil engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation. It was a household that loved beautiful things, a practice that Mariclare carried on for the rest of her life.

She attended St. Mark School and the Academy of Our Lady in Peoria and went to Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa, spending a transformative year at The University of Vienna along the way. She received her master's in theater and education from Catholic University, where she studied improv with the great Viola Spolin, and performed for President Kennedy as Nerissa in "The Merchant of Venice."

After graduate school, Mariclare set out for New York City to pursue a life in the theater; and what a life it was. She worked at Sheridan Square Theater, The Public Theater and on Broadway, and was a lifetime member of The Actor's Studio. She was selected for the original Lincoln Center Repertory Company, led by Herbert Blau and Jules Irving, where she trained with and worked alongside Jerome Robbins, Harold Clurman, Michel Saint-Denis, Jose Quintero, Hal Holbrook, Austin Pendleton, Faye Dunaway, Stacy Keach and James Earl Jones. She originated the role of Louise in Arthur Miller's "After the Fall," opposite Jason Robards, directed by Elia Kazan; and appeared on Broadway in "Harvey," alongside Jimmy Stewart.

It was in an acting class taught by the legendary Mira Rostova that she met Allan Arbus. They fell in love rehearsing Dorothy Parker's one-act play, "Here We Are." In the late 1960s, the couple moved to Los Angeles, where Mariclare's film and television work included memorable roles in the cult film "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" and "The Execution of Private Slovik," and recurring roles on "The Waltons" and "The Fitzpatricks." After twelve years together, Mariclare and Allan wed at their home in 1977, and had one daughter, Arin.

The theater never loosened its hold, and Mariclare continued to act, direct and teach, while raising her daughter in Los Angeles. In time, that passion found its fullest expression in her work with students and communities. She led the drama program at St. Paul the Apostle Elementary School in Westwood, directed at Loyola High School and Loyola Marymount University, where she also taught acting for many years. She directed several productions for Interact Theater, including "Our Town," and led a theater group at Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. Her basement was filled floor to ceiling with costumes and props, and her productions were works of extraordinary care and beauty. Her gift was rare; she knew how to get people out of their own heads, focused on a task rather than on themselves, and in doing so helped them access their own creative voices.

She was also, in every dimension of her life, someone who paid attention. She could talk to anyone, was interested in everything, and was a relentless asker of questions. She loved stray animals, rescued bugs, fed birds, and knew that few pleasures in life rivaled a good curbside furniture find. She was a wonderful cook and wrapped presents with the kind of care that made the unwrapping its own event. She refinished countless floors and collected objects, letters, photographs, even used coffee cups, much to her husband and daughter's dismay. She made every space she inhabited more beautiful. Warm, curious, generous and tough, she had the constitution of an ox, was never sick, and was always up for an adventure, especially if she could show up a few minutes late, as was her general inclination.

She is survived by Arin and her partner, Ethan; granddaughter, Bird; step-daughters, Amy and Doon; and beloved nieces, Moira, Elizabeth, Molly, Sarah, Kate and Julia, and nephew, Jim, and their families. She was preceded in death by her husband, Allan Arbus; her sisters, Marjorie Klise and Joan McQuillen; and nephews, Matthew and Michael.

A funeral service will be held in New York City, with burial and remembrance in Peoria.

The final theater production she saw was "Waiting for Godot," directed by her daughter at Theater for a New Audience.

COSTELLO, Mariclare (Mariclare Catherine Costello)

Born: 2/3/1936, Peoria, Illinois, U.S.A.

Died: 4/17/2026, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

 

Mariclare Costello’s westerns – actress:

Little House on the Prairie (TV) – 1976 (Helen Crane)

Sara (TV) – 1976 (Julia Bailey)

Territorial Men (TV) – 1976 (Julia Bailey)