Born in Andover, Massachusetts to Dorcas (nee Curley; 07 Jan 1915-12 Oct 1993) and Phillip Anthony Costello (07 Dec 1912-09 Jun 2000). He grew up in Andover with his brother Michael.After he graduated in 1955, from Phillips Andover Academy, Anthony went to both the Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Florence in Italy, and then he attended Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received a master of fine arts degree.Tony first tried painting as his artistic outlet, something he would continue on and off all of his life, but he also loved theatre, and toured with the Cleveland Playhouse in 1961. He then appeared in Boston theatre and finally on Broadway, and moved to Hollywood in 1963 looking to work more in film and television.In 1974, he started writing a story in which he could star when the story was produced. The story then became a mini-series and then a novel, and when he was finished there was no part for him. Some studio producers showed interest, but when he said that the deal came with him as scriptwriter, they turned him down. Bantam Books published the story as a novel in early 1982 under the title Jericho. The book is a love story set around the Great Depression, the union movement, and the struggle between bosses in a Massachusetts mill town in decline in the 1930s.Anthony Costello died at his home, after suffering from AIDS.