Bessie Love
Acting
- Born:
- 1898-09-09
- Died:
- 1986-04-26
- 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
Filmography
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
Gareth Hughes
Alice Guy-Blaché
The Hunger
Reds
Ragtime
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Hollywood
Edward and Mrs Simpson
Edward & Mrs. Simpson
Gulliver's Travels
The Ritz
Vampyres
Mousey
Catlow
Sunday Bloody Sunday
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Isadora
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
Battle Beneath the Earth
Promise Her Anything
The Wild Affair
The Pistol
I Think They Call Him John
Story Parade
Children of the Damned
The Sentimental Agent
Man of the World
The Andromeda Breakthrough
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Too Young to Love
International Detective
Nowhere to Go
Next to No Time
The Story of Esther Costello
Touch and Go
ITV Play of the Week
The Barefoot Contessa
The Weak and the Wicked
The Magic Box
No Highway in the Sky
Journey Together
London Scrapbook
Atlantic Ferry
Morals for Women
Round About Hollywood
See America Thirst
Good News
Conspiracy
They Learned About Women
Chasing Rainbows
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
The Girl in the Show
The Idle Rich
The Broadway Melody
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
Sally of the Scandals
The Swell Head
The Matinee Idol
Dress Parade
A Harp in Hock
Rubber Tires
The American
Going Crooked
Young April
Lovey Mary
The Song and Dance Man
The King On Main Street
New Brooms
A Son of His Father
Soul-Fire
The Lost World
Tongues of Flame
Sundown
Dynamite Smith
The Silent Watcher
Those Who Dance
The Woman on the Jury
Torment
Gentle Julia
Slave of Desire
St. Elmo
The Eternal Three
Human Wreckage
Mary of the Movies
The Purple Dawn
Souls for Sale
The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous
The Ghost Patrol
Three Who Paid
Deserted at the Altar
Night Life in Hollywood
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
The Village Blacksmith
Bulldog Courage
Forget Me Not
The Vermilion Pencil
The Wampas Baby Stars of 1922
The Sea Lion
The Swamp
The Spirit of the Lake
The Honor of Rameriz
Penny of Top Hill Trail
The Midlanders
Bonnie May
Pegeen
A Fighting Colleen
Over the Garden Wall
Cupid Forecloses
The Little Boss
A Yankee Princess
The Wishing Ring Man
Carolyn of the Corners
The Enchanted Barn
The Dawn of Understanding
A Little Sister of Everybody
How Could You, Caroline?
The Great Adventure
Polly Ann
Wee Lady Betty
The Sawdust Ring
Cheerful Givers
A Daughter of the Poor
Nina, the Flower Girl
The Heiress at Coffee Dan's
A Sister of Six
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
Hell-to-Pay Austin
Stranded
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish
Reggie Mixes In
The Good Bad-Man
The Aryan
The Flying Torpedo
Acquitted