Bessie Love
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.
TV Shows(7)
Movies(127)
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
Self (archive footage)
2018
Gareth Hughes
Self (archive footage)
2000
Alice Guy-Blaché
Self
1997
The Hunger
Lillybelle
1983
Reds
Mrs. Partlow
1981
Ragtime
Old Lady - T.O.C.
1981
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Flora
1981
Edward & Mrs. Simpson
Lady Cunard
1978
Gulliver's Travels
(voice)
1977
The Ritz
Maurine
1976
Vampyres
American Lady
1974
Mousey
Mrs. Richardson
1974
Catlow
Mrs. Frost
1971
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Answering Service Lady
1971
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Baccarat Player (uncredited)
1969
Isadora
Mrs. Duncan
1968
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
American tourist (uncredited)
1967
Battle Beneath the Earth
Matron
1967
Promise Her Anything
Pet Shop Customer
1966
The Wild Affair
Marjorie's Mother
1965
The Pistol
Martha Burroughs
1965
I Think They Call Him John
Narrator (voice)
1964
Children of the Damned
Mrs. Robbin
1964
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
Bunny
1961
Too Young to Love
Mrs. Busch
1960
Nowhere to Go
Harriet P. Jefferson
1958
Next to No Time
Becky Wiener
1958
The Story of Esther Costello
Art Gallery Customer
1957
Touch and Go
Mrs Baxter
1955
The Barefoot Contessa
Mrs. Eubanks
1954
The Weak and the Wicked
Prisoner
1954
The Magic Box
Bride's Mother in Wedding Group
1952
No Highway in the Sky
Plane Passenger (uncredited)
1951
Journey Together
Mrs. Mary McWilliams
1945
London Scrapbook
Herself
1942
Atlantic Ferry
Begonia Baggot
1941
Morals for Women
Helen Hutson
1931
Round About Hollywood
Self
1931
See America Thirst
Ellen
1930
Good News
Babe
1930
Conspiracy
Margaret Holt
1930
They Learned About Women
Mary
1930
Chasing Rainbows
Carlie Seymour
1930
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
Self
1929
The Girl in the Show
Hattie Hartley
1929
The Idle Rich
Helen Thayer
1929
The Broadway Melody
Harriet 'Hank' Mahoney
1929
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
Mitzi Lavelle
1928
Sally of the Scandals
Sally Rand
1928
The Swell Head
1928
The Matinee Idol
Ginger Bolivar
1928
Dress Parade
Janet Cleghorne
1927
A Harp in Hock
Nora Banks
1927
Rubber Tires
Mary Ellen Stack
1927
The American
Jane Wilton
1927
Going Crooked
Marie
1926
Young April
Victoria
1926
Lovey Mary
Lovey Mary
1926
The Song and Dance Man
Leola Lane
1926
The King On Main Street
Mary Young
1925
New Brooms
1925
A Son of His Father
Nora Shea
1925
Soul-Fire
Teita
1925
The Lost World
Paula White
1925
Tongues of Flame
Lahleet
1924
Sundown
Ellen Crawley
1924
Dynamite Smith
Violet
1924
The Silent Watcher
Mary, his wife
1924
Those Who Dance
Veda Anargas
1924
The Woman on the Jury
Grace Pierce
1924
Torment
Marie
1924
Gentle Julia
Julia
1923
Slave of Desire
Pauline Gaudin
1923
St. Elmo
Edna Earle
1923
The Eternal Three
Hilda Gray
1923
Human Wreckage
Mary Finnegan
1923
Mary of the Movies
Herself (uncredited)
1923
The Purple Dawn
Mui Far
1923
Souls for Sale
Self - Celebrity Actress (uncredited)
1923
The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous
Bernice
1923
The Ghost Patrol
Effie Kugler
1923
Three Who Paid
John Caspar / Virginia Cartwright
1923
Deserted at the Altar
Anna Moore (The Country Girl)
1922
Night Life in Hollywood
Self
1922
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
Self
1922
The Village Blacksmith
Rosemary Martin
1922
Bulldog Courage
Gloria Phillips
1922
Forget Me Not
Ann, The Girl
1922
The Vermilion Pencil
Hyacinth
1922
The Wampas Baby Stars of 1922
Self
1922
The Sea Lion
Blossom Nelson
1921
The Swamp
Mary
1921
The Spirit of the Lake
1921
The Honor of Rameriz
The Geologist's Wife
1921
Penny of Top Hill Trail
Penny
1921
The Midlanders
Aurelie Lindstrom
1920
Bonnie May
Bonnie May
1920
Pegeen
Pegeen O'Neill
1920
A Fighting Colleen
Alannah Malone
1919
Over the Garden Wall
Peggy Gordon
1919
Cupid Forecloses
Geraldine Farleigh
1919
The Little Boss
Peggy Winston (The Little Boss)
1919
A Yankee Princess
Patsy O'Reilly
1919
The Wishing Ring Man
Joy Havenith
1919
Carolyn of the Corners
1919
The Enchanted Barn
Shirley Hollister
1919
The Dawn of Understanding
Sue Prescott
1918
A Little Sister of Everybody
Celeste Janvier
1918
How Could You, Caroline?
Caroline Rogers
1918
The Great Adventure
Rags
1918
Polly Ann
Polly Ann
1917
Wee Lady Betty
Wee Lady Betty
1917
The Sawdust Ring
Janet Magie
1917
Cheerful Givers
Judy
1917
A Daughter of the Poor
Rose Eastman
1917
Nina, the Flower Girl
Nina
1917
The Heiress at Coffee Dan's
Waffles
1916
A Sister of Six
Prudence
1916
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
The Bride of Cana (Judean Story)
1916
Hell-to-Pay Austin
Briar Rose Dawson
1916
Stranded
The Girl
1916
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish
The Little Fish Blower
1916
Reggie Mixes In
Agnes
1916
The Good Bad-Man
Amy
1916
The Aryan
Mary Jane Garth
1916
The Flying Torpedo
Hulda
1916
Acquitted
Helen Carter
1916