Name
Bessie Love
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1898-09-09
Deathday
1986-04-26 (88 years old)
Place of Birth
Midland, Texas, USA
Biography
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.
Known For
6.555
With the help of Marc-Ange Draco, head of the Unione Corse crime syndicate, and Draco's tr...
5.38
After a crippling injury leaves her husband impotent, Lady Chatterly is torn between her l...
6.65
Five-thousand-year-old vampire Miriam promises her lovers the gift of eternal life. When J...
6.7
A washed-up filmmaker gets a second chance at stardom when he discovers stunning peasant M...
5.146
The vaudeville act of Harriet and Queenie Mahoney comes to Broadway, where their friend Ed...
6.562
Recently divorced career woman Alex Greville begins a romantic relationship with glamorous...
7.073
The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is inte...
- 1916 Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages as The Bride of Cana (Judean Story)
- 1925 The Lost World as Paula White
- 1983 The Hunger as Lillybelle
- 1929 The Hollywood Revue of 1929 as Self
- 1922 Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12 as Self
- 1922 The Village Blacksmith as Rosemary Martin
- 1961 The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone as Bunny
- 1976 The Ritz as Maurine
- 1965 The Pistol as Martha Burroughs
- 1971 Sunday Bloody Sunday as Answering Service Lady
- 1929 The Broadway Melody as Harriet 'Hank' Mahoney
- 1981 Reds as Mrs. Partlow
- 1958 Nowhere to Go as Harriet P. Jefferson
- 1952 The Magic Box as Bride's Mother in Wedding Group
- 1928 The Matinee Idol as Ginger Bolivar
- 1971 Catlow as Mrs. Frost
- 1974 Mousey as Mrs. Richardson
- 1928 The Swell Head
- 1977 Gulliver's Travels as (voice)
- 1930 Conspiracy as Margaret Holt
- 1930 Chasing Rainbows as Carlie Seymour
- 1931 Morals for Women as Helen Hutson
- 1964 I Think They Call Him John as Narrator (voice)
- 1922 Deserted at the Altar as Anna Moore (The Country Girl)
- 1930 Good News as Babe
- 1929 The Idle Rich as Helen Thayer
- 1930 They Learned About Women as Mary
- 1916 The Good Bad-Man as Amy
- 1927 Rubber Tires as Mary Ellen Stack
- 1930 See America Thirst as Ellen
- 1955 Touch and Go as Mrs Baxter
- 2000 Gareth Hughes as Self (archive footage)
- 1923 The Eternal Three as Hilda Gray
- 1927 Dress Parade as Janet Cleghorne
- 1997 Alice Guy-Blaché as Self
- 1920 Pegeen as Pegeen O'Neill
- 1923 Souls for Sale as Self - Celebrity Actress (uncredited)
- 1920 Bonnie May as Bonnie May
- 1921 The Sea Lion as Blossom Nelson
- 1926 The Song and Dance Man as Leola Lane
- 1929 The Girl in the Show as Hattie Hartley
- 1916 The Flying Torpedo as Hulda
- 1967 Battle Beneath the Earth as Matron
- 1925 The King On Main Street as Mary Young
- 1958 Next to No Time as Becky Wiener
- 1960 Too Young to Love as Mrs. Busch
- 1916 The Mystery of the Leaping Fish as The Little Fish Blower
- 1981 Lady Chatterley's Lover as Flora
- 1941 Atlantic Ferry as Begonia Baggot
- 1981 Ragtime as Old Lady - T.O.C.
- 1968 Isadora as Mrs. Duncan
- 1925 Soul-Fire as Teita
- 1916 Reggie Mixes In as Agnes
- 1917 Cheerful Givers as Judy
- 1917 A Daughter of the Poor as Rose Eastman
- 1951 No Highway in the Sky as Plane Passenger (uncredited)
- 1954 The Weak and the Wicked as Prisoner
- 1916 The Aryan as Mary Jane Garth
- 1926 Young April as Victoria
- 1954 The Barefoot Contessa as Mrs. Eubanks
- 1931 Round About Hollywood as Self
- 1923 Human Wreckage as Mary Finnegan
- 1927 The American as Jane Wilton
- 1965 The Wild Affair as Marjorie's Mother
- 1926 Going Crooked as Marie
- 1974 Vampyres as American Lady
- 1957 The Story of Esther Costello as Art Gallery Customer
- 1920 The Midlanders as Aurelie Lindstrom
- 1919 Carolyn of the Corners
- 1925 New Brooms
- 1921 Penny of Top Hill Trail as Penny
- 2018 Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché as Self (archive footage)
- 1921 The Swamp as Mary
- 1918 The Great Adventure as Rags
- 1942 London Scrapbook as Herself
- 1978 Edward & Mrs. Simpson as Lady Cunard
- 1945 Journey Together as Mrs. Mary McWilliams
- 1916 A Sister of Six as Prudence
- 1925 A Son of His Father as Nora Shea
- 1919 The Wishing Ring Man as Joy Havenith
- 1922 The Wampas Baby Stars of 1922 as Self
- 1917 Polly Ann as Polly Ann
- 1917 The Sawdust Ring as Janet Magie
- 1917 Wee Lady Betty as Wee Lady Betty
- 1917 Nina, the Flower Girl as Nina
- 1918 How Could You, Caroline? as Caroline Rogers
- 1919 The Enchanted Barn as Shirley Hollister
- 1918 The Dawn of Understanding as Sue Prescott
- 1918 A Little Sister of Everybody as Celeste Janvier
- 1919 A Yankee Princess as Patsy O'Reilly
- 1921 The Spirit of the Lake
- 1922 The Vermilion Pencil as Hyacinth
- 1919 The Little Boss as Peggy Winston (The Little Boss)
- 1922 Night Life in Hollywood as Self
- 1919 Cupid Forecloses as Geraldine Farleigh
- 1919 Over the Garden Wall as Peggy Gordon
- 1919 A Fighting Colleen as Alannah Malone
- 1921 The Honor of Rameriz as The Geologist's Wife
- 1923 Three Who Paid as John Caspar / Virginia Cartwright
- 1922 Bulldog Courage as Gloria Phillips
- 1964 Children of the Damned as Mrs. Robbin
- 1922 Forget Me Not as Ann, The Girl
- 1923 The Purple Dawn as Mui Far
- 1923 The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous as Bernice
- 1923 Mary of the Movies as Herself (uncredited)
- 1923 St. Elmo as Edna Earle
- 1916 Hell-to-Pay Austin as Briar Rose Dawson
- 1916 Acquitted as Helen Carter
- 1928 Anybody Here Seen Kelly? as Mitzi Lavelle
- 1923 The Ghost Patrol as Effie Kugler
- 1916 Stranded as The Girl
- 1916 The Heiress at Coffee Dan's as Waffles
- 1924 Those Who Dance as Veda Anargas
- 1924 Dynamite Smith as Violet
- 1928 Sally of the Scandals as Sally Rand
- 1923 Slave of Desire as Pauline Gaudin
- 1923 Gentle Julia as Julia
- 1924 The Silent Watcher as Mary, his wife
- 1924 Torment as Marie
- 1924 The Woman on the Jury as Grace Pierce
- 1924 Sundown as Ellen Crawley
- 1926 Lovey Mary as Lovey Mary
- 1924 Tongues of Flame as Lahleet
- 1927 A Harp in Hock as Nora Banks
- 1966 Promise Her Anything as Pet Shop Customer
- 1969 On Her Majesty's Secret Service as Baccarat Player (uncredited)
- 1967 I'll Never Forget What's'isname as American tourist (uncredited)
- 1978 Edward and Mrs Simpson ( 1 episode ) as Lady Cunard
- 1959 International Detective ( 1 episode ) as Marta Steibel
- 1959 International Detective ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Morgan
- 1980 Hollywood ( 13 episodes ) as Self
- 1955 ITV Play of the Week ( 1 episode ) as Mrs Strong
- 1964 Story Parade ( 1 episode ) as Mrs. Arquette
- 1962 Man of the World ( 1 episode ) as Mrs Van Kempson
- 1963 The Sentimental Agent ( 1 episode ) as Mamie
