Bessie Love
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- September 9, 1898
- Died
- April 26, 1986
- Birthplace
- Midland, Texas, USA
Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton, September 10, 1898 - April 26, 1986) became one of the most recognizable faces of early American cinema. After her family moved to Los Angeles, she was sent to Biograph Studios, where legendary director D.W. Griffith noticed her talent and cast her in several films, including Intolerance (1916). During the silent era, she gained popularity for her lively, wholesome screen presence and worked with major stars such as Douglas Fairbanks. Her career soared in the 1920s, and she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1922, marking her as one of Hollywood’s most promising young actresses. Love made a successful transition to sound films—something many silent stars struggled with. Her performance as Hank Mahoney in The Broadway Melody (1929) earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, cementing her place in film history. In the 1930s, she moved to the United Kingdom, where she continued acting in film, theatre, radio, and later television. Her career ultimately spanned from 1915 to 1983, making her one of the longest‑working performers of her generation. She died on April 26, 1986, in London at age 87.
Filmography
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché 2018
as Self (archive footage)
- Gareth Hughes
Gareth Hughes 2000
as Self (archive footage)
Alice Guy-Blaché 1997
as Self
The Hunger 1983
as Lillybelle
Reds 1981
as Mrs. Partlow
Ragtime 1981
as Old Lady - T.O.C.
Lady Chatterley's Lover 1981
as Flora
Edward & Mrs. Simpson 1978
as Lady Cunard
Gulliver's Travels 1977
as (voice)
The Ritz 1976
as Maurine
Vampyres 1974
as American Lady
Mousey 1974
as Mrs. Richardson
Catlow 1971
as Mrs. Frost
Sunday Bloody Sunday 1971
as Answering Service Lady
On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969
as Baccarat Player (uncredited)
Isadora 1968
as Mrs. Duncan
I'll Never Forget What's'isname 1967
as American tourist (uncredited)
Battle Beneath the Earth 1967
as Matron
Promise Her Anything 1966
as Pet Shop Customer
The Wild Affair 1965
as Marjorie's Mother
- The Pistol
The Pistol 1965
as Martha Burroughs
I Think They Call Him John 1964
as Narrator (voice)
Children of the Damned 1964
as Mrs. Robbin
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone 1961
as Bunny
Too Young to Love 1960
as Mrs. Busch
Nowhere to Go 1958
as Harriet P. Jefferson
Next to No Time 1958
as Becky Wiener
Los ojos del siglo (Volumen I) 1957
as Ella misma (material de archivo)
The Story of Esther Costello 1957
as Art Gallery Customer
Touch and Go 1955
as Mrs Baxter
The Barefoot Contessa 1954
as Mrs. Eubanks
The Weak and the Wicked 1954
as Prisoner
The Magic Box 1952
as Bride's Mother in Wedding Group
No Highway in the Sky 1951
as Plane Passenger (uncredited)
Journey Together 1945
as Mrs. Mary McWilliams
- London Scrapbook
London Scrapbook 1942
as Herself
Atlantic Ferry 1941
as Begonia Baggot
Morals for Women 1931
as Helen Hutson
Round About Hollywood 1931
as Self
See America Thirst 1930
as Ellen
Good News 1930
as Babe
Conspiracy 1930
as Margaret Holt
They Learned About Women 1930
as Mary
Chasing Rainbows 1930
as Carlie Seymour
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 1929
as Self
The Girl in the Show 1929
as Hattie Hartley
The Idle Rich 1929
as Helen Thayer
The Broadway Melody 1929
as Harriet 'Hank' Mahoney
Anybody Here Seen Kelly? 1928
as Mitzi Lavelle
Sally of the Scandals 1928
as Sally Rand
The Swell Head 1928
Actor
The Matinee Idol 1928
as Ginger Bolivar
Dress Parade 1927
as Janet Cleghorne
A Harp in Hock 1927
as Nora Banks
Rubber Tires 1927
as Mary Ellen Stack
The American 1927
as Jane Wilton
Going Crooked 1926
as Marie
Young April 1926
as Victoria
Lovey Mary 1926
as Lovey Mary
- The Song and Dance Man
The Song and Dance Man 1926
as Leola Lane
The King On Main Street 1925
as Mary Young
New Brooms 1925
Actor
A Son of His Father 1925
as Nora Shea
Soul-Fire 1925
as Teita
The Lost World 1925
as Paula White
- Tongues of Flame
Tongues of Flame 1924
as Lahleet
Sundown 1924
as Ellen Crawley
Dynamite Smith 1924
as Violet
The Silent Watcher 1924
as Mary, his wife
Those Who Dance 1924
as Veda Anargas
The Woman on the Jury 1924
as Grace Pierce
Torment 1924
as Marie
Gentle Julia 1923
as Julia
Slave of Desire 1923
as Pauline Gaudin
St. Elmo 1923
as Edna Earle
The Eternal Three 1923
as Hilda Gray
Human Wreckage 1923
as Mary Finnegan
Mary of the Movies 1923
as Herself (uncredited)
The Purple Dawn 1923
as Mui Far
Souls for Sale 1923
as Self - Celebrity Actress (uncredited)
The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous 1923
as Bernice
The Ghost Patrol 1923
as Effie Kugler
- Three Who Paid
Three Who Paid 1923
as John Caspar / Virginia Cartwright
Deserted at the Altar 1922
as Anna Moore (The Country Girl)
Night Life in Hollywood 1922
as Self
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12 1922
as Self
The Village Blacksmith 1922
as Rosemary Martin
- Bulldog Courage
Bulldog Courage 1922
as Gloria Phillips
Forget Me Not 1922
as Ann, The Girl
The Vermilion Pencil 1922
as Hyacinth
The Wampas Baby Stars of 1922 1922
as Self
The Sea Lion 1921
as Blossom Nelson
- The Spirit of the Lake
The Spirit of the Lake 1921
Actor
The Swamp 1921
as Mary
The Honor of Rameriz 1921
as The Geologist's Wife
Penny of Top Hill Trail 1921
as Penny
The Midlanders 1920
as Aurelie Lindstrom
Bonnie May 1920
as Bonnie May
Pegeen 1920
as Pegeen O'Neill
A Fighting Colleen 1919
as Alannah Malone
Over the Garden Wall 1919
as Peggy Gordon
Cupid Forecloses 1919
as Geraldine Farleigh
The Little Boss 1919
as Peggy Winston (The Little Boss)
- A Yankee Princess
A Yankee Princess 1919
as Patsy O'Reilly, Screenplay
The Wishing Ring Man 1919
as Joy Havenith
Carolyn of the Corners 1919
Actor
The Enchanted Barn 1919
as Shirley Hollister
The Dawn of Understanding 1918
as Sue Prescott
A Little Sister of Everybody 1918
as Celeste Janvier
How Could You, Caroline? 1918
as Caroline Rogers
The Great Adventure 1918
as Rags
Polly Ann 1917
as Polly Ann
Wee Lady Betty 1917
as Wee Lady Betty
The Sawdust Ring 1917
as Janet Magie
Cheerful Givers 1917
as Judy
A Daughter of the Poor 1917
as Rose Eastman
Nina, the Flower Girl 1917
as Nina
- The Heiress at Coffee Dan's
The Heiress at Coffee Dan's 1916
as Waffles
A Sister of Six 1916
as Prudence
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages 1916
as The Bride of Cana (Judean Story)
- Hell-to-Pay Austin
Hell-to-Pay Austin 1916
as Briar Rose Dawson
- Stranded
Stranded 1916
as The Girl
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish 1916
as The Little Fish Blower
Reggie Mixes In 1916
as Agnes
The Good Bad-Man 1916
as Amy
The Aryan 1916
as Mary Jane Garth
The Flying Torpedo 1916
as Hulda
- Acquitted
Acquitted 1916
as Helen Carter
Credits from TMDB.