Bessie Love
Acting
1898-09-09 · 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 · Movie
Gareth Hughes
2000 · Movie
Alice Guy-Blaché
1997 · Movie
The Hunger
1983 · Movie
Reds
1981 · Movie
Ragtime
1981 · Movie
Lady Chatterley's Lover
1981 · Movie
Hollywood
1980 · Series
Edward and Mrs Simpson
1978 · Series
Edward & Mrs. Simpson
1978 · Movie
Gulliver's Travels
1977 · Movie
The Ritz
1976 · Movie
Vampyres
1974 · Movie
Mousey
1974 · Movie
Catlow
1971 · Movie
Sunday Bloody Sunday
1971 · Movie
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1969 · Movie
Isadora
1968 · Movie
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
1967 · Movie
Battle Beneath the Earth
1967 · Movie
Promise Her Anything
1966 · Movie
The Wild Affair
1965 · Movie
The Pistol
1965 · Movie
I Think They Call Him John
1964 · Movie
Story Parade
1964 · Series
Children of the Damned
1964 · Movie
The Sentimental Agent
1963 · Series
Man of the World
1962 · Series
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
1961 · Movie
Too Young to Love
1960 · Movie
International Detective
1959 · Series
Nowhere to Go
1958 · Movie
Next to No Time
1958 · Movie
The Story of Esther Costello
1957 · Movie
Touch and Go
1955 · Movie
ITV Play of the Week
1955 · Series
The Barefoot Contessa
1954 · Movie
The Weak and the Wicked
1954 · Movie
The Magic Box
1952 · Movie
No Highway in the Sky
1951 · Movie
Journey Together
1945 · Movie
London Scrapbook
1942 · Movie
Atlantic Ferry
1941 · Movie
Morals for Women
1931 · Movie
Round About Hollywood
1931 · Movie
See America Thirst
1930 · Movie
Good News
1930 · Movie
Conspiracy
1930 · Movie
They Learned About Women
1930 · Movie
Chasing Rainbows
1930 · Movie
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
1929 · Movie
The Girl in the Show
1929 · Movie
The Idle Rich
1929 · Movie
The Broadway Melody
1929 · Movie
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
1928 · Movie
Sally of the Scandals
1928 · Movie
The Swell Head
1928 · Movie
The Matinee Idol
1928 · Movie
Dress Parade
1927 · Movie
A Harp in Hock
1927 · Movie
Rubber Tires
1927 · Movie
The American
1927 · Movie
Going Crooked
1926 · Movie
Young April
1926 · Movie
Lovey Mary
1926 · Movie
The Song and Dance Man
1926 · Movie
The King On Main Street
1925 · Movie
New Brooms
1925 · Movie
A Son of His Father
1925 · Movie
Soul-Fire
1925 · Movie
The Lost World
1925 · Movie
Tongues of Flame
1924 · Movie
Sundown
1924 · Movie
Dynamite Smith
1924 · Movie
The Silent Watcher
1924 · Movie
Those Who Dance
1924 · Movie
The Woman on the Jury
1924 · Movie
Torment
1924 · Movie
Gentle Julia
1923 · Movie
Slave of Desire
1923 · Movie
St. Elmo
1923 · Movie
The Eternal Three
1923 · Movie
Human Wreckage
1923 · Movie
Mary of the Movies
1923 · Movie
The Purple Dawn
1923 · Movie
Souls for Sale
1923 · Movie
The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous
1923 · Movie
The Ghost Patrol
1923 · Movie
Three Who Paid
1923 · Movie
Deserted at the Altar
1922 · Movie
Night Life in Hollywood
1922 · Movie
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
1922 · Movie
The Village Blacksmith
1922 · Movie
Bulldog Courage
1922 · Movie
Forget Me Not
1922 · Movie
The Vermilion Pencil
1922 · Movie
The Wampas Baby Stars of 1922
1922 · Movie
The Sea Lion
1921 · Movie
The Spirit of the Lake
1921 · Movie
The Swamp
1921 · Movie
The Honor of Rameriz
1921 · Movie
Penny of Top Hill Trail
1921 · Movie
The Midlanders
1920 · Movie
Bonnie May
1920 · Movie
Pegeen
1920 · Movie
A Fighting Colleen
1919 · Movie
Over the Garden Wall
1919 · Movie
Cupid Forecloses
1919 · Movie
The Little Boss
1919 · Movie
A Yankee Princess
1919 · Movie
The Wishing Ring Man
1919 · Movie
Carolyn of the Corners
1919 · Movie
The Enchanted Barn
1919 · Movie
The Dawn of Understanding
1918 · Movie
A Little Sister of Everybody
1918 · Movie
How Could You, Caroline?
1918 · Movie
The Great Adventure
1918 · Movie
Polly Ann
1917 · Movie
Wee Lady Betty
1917 · Movie
The Sawdust Ring
1917 · Movie
Cheerful Givers
1917 · Movie
A Daughter of the Poor
1917 · Movie
Nina, the Flower Girl
1917 · Movie
The Heiress at Coffee Dan's
1916 · Movie
A Sister of Six
1916 · Movie
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
1916 · Movie
Hell-to-Pay Austin
1916 · Movie
Stranded
1916 · Movie
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish
1916 · Movie
Reggie Mixes In
1916 · Movie
The Good Bad-Man
1916 · Movie
The Aryan
1916 · Movie
The Flying Torpedo
1916 · Movie
Acquitted
1916 · Movie