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