Bessie Love

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

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

ITV Play of the Week

The Hunger

Man of the World

Hollywood

Lady Chatterley's Lover

The Sentimental Agent

Edward and Mrs Simpson

All Movies (127)

• Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché2018 · as Self (archive footage)
• Gareth Hughes2000 · as Self (archive footage)
• Alice Guy-Blaché1997 · as Self
• The Hunger1983 · as Lillybelle
• Reds1981 · as Mrs. Partlow
• Ragtime1981 · as Old Lady - T.O.C.
• Lady Chatterley's Lover1981 · as Flora
• Edward & Mrs. Simpson1978 · as Lady Cunard
• Gulliver's Travels1977 · as (voice)
• The Ritz1976 · as Maurine
• Vampyres1974 · as American Lady
• Mousey1974 · as Mrs. Richardson
• Catlow1971 · as Mrs. Frost
• Sunday Bloody Sunday1971 · as Answering Service Lady
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service1969 · as Baccarat Player (uncredited)
• Isadora1968 · as Mrs. Duncan
• I'll Never Forget What's'isname1967 · as American tourist (uncredited)
• Battle Beneath the Earth1967 · as Matron
• Promise Her Anything1966 · as Pet Shop Customer
• The Wild Affair1965 · as Marjorie's Mother
• The Pistol1965 · as Martha Burroughs
• I Think They Call Him John1964 · as Narrator (voice)
• Children of the Damned1964 · as Mrs. Robbin
• The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone1961 · as Bunny
• Too Young to Love1960 · as Mrs. Busch
• Nowhere to Go1958 · as Harriet P. Jefferson
• Next to No Time1958 · as Becky Wiener
• The Story of Esther Costello1957 · as Art Gallery Customer
• Touch and Go1955 · as Mrs Baxter
• The Barefoot Contessa1954 · as Mrs. Eubanks
• The Weak and the Wicked1954 · as Prisoner
• The Magic Box1952 · as Bride's Mother in Wedding Group
• No Highway in the Sky1951 · as Plane Passenger (uncredited)
• Journey Together1945 · as Mrs. Mary McWilliams
• London Scrapbook1942 · as Herself
• Atlantic Ferry1941 · as Begonia Baggot
• Morals for Women1931 · as Helen Hutson
• Round About Hollywood1931 · as Self
• See America Thirst1930 · as Ellen
• Good News1930 · as Babe
• Conspiracy1930 · as Margaret Holt
• They Learned About Women1930 · as Mary
• Chasing Rainbows1930 · as Carlie Seymour
• The Hollywood Revue of 19291929 · as Self
• The Girl in the Show1929 · as Hattie Hartley
• The Idle Rich1929 · as Helen Thayer
• The Broadway Melody1929 · as Harriet 'Hank' Mahoney
• Anybody Here Seen Kelly?1928 · as Mitzi Lavelle
• Sally of the Scandals1928 · as Sally Rand
• The Swell Head1928
• The Matinee Idol1928 · as Ginger Bolivar
• Dress Parade1927 · as Janet Cleghorne
• A Harp in Hock1927 · as Nora Banks
• Rubber Tires1927 · as Mary Ellen Stack
• The American1927 · as Jane Wilton
• Going Crooked1926 · as Marie
• Young April1926 · as Victoria
• Lovey Mary1926 · as Lovey Mary
• The Song and Dance Man1926 · as Leola Lane
• The King On Main Street1925 · as Mary Young
• New Brooms1925
• A Son of His Father1925 · as Nora Shea
• Soul-Fire1925 · as Teita
• The Lost World1925 · as Paula White
• Tongues of Flame1924 · as Lahleet
• Sundown1924 · as Ellen Crawley
• Dynamite Smith1924 · as Violet
• The Silent Watcher1924 · as Mary, his wife
• Those Who Dance1924 · as Veda Anargas
• The Woman on the Jury1924 · as Grace Pierce
• Torment1924 · as Marie
• Gentle Julia1923 · as Julia
• Slave of Desire1923 · as Pauline Gaudin
• St. Elmo1923 · as Edna Earle
• The Eternal Three1923 · as Hilda Gray
• Human Wreckage1923 · as Mary Finnegan
• Mary of the Movies1923 · as Herself (uncredited)
• The Purple Dawn1923 · as Mui Far
• Souls for Sale1923 · as Self - Celebrity Actress (uncredited)
• The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous1923 · as Bernice
• The Ghost Patrol1923 · as Effie Kugler
• Three Who Paid1923 · as John Caspar / Virginia Cartwright
• Deserted at the Altar1922 · as Anna Moore (The Country Girl)
• Night Life in Hollywood1922 · as Self
• Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 121922 · as Self
• The Village Blacksmith1922 · as Rosemary Martin
• Bulldog Courage1922 · as Gloria Phillips
• Forget Me Not1922 · as Ann, The Girl
• The Vermilion Pencil1922 · as Hyacinth
• The Wampas Baby Stars of 19221922 · as Self
• The Sea Lion1921 · as Blossom Nelson
• The Swamp1921 · as Mary
• The Spirit of the Lake1921
• The Honor of Rameriz1921 · as The Geologist's Wife
• Penny of Top Hill Trail1921 · as Penny
• The Midlanders1920 · as Aurelie Lindstrom
• Bonnie May1920 · as Bonnie May
• Pegeen1920 · as Pegeen O'Neill
• A Fighting Colleen1919 · as Alannah Malone
• Over the Garden Wall1919 · as Peggy Gordon
• Cupid Forecloses1919 · as Geraldine Farleigh
• The Little Boss1919 · as Peggy Winston (The Little Boss)
• A Yankee Princess1919 · as Patsy O'Reilly
• The Wishing Ring Man1919 · as Joy Havenith
• Carolyn of the Corners1919
• The Enchanted Barn1919 · as Shirley Hollister
• The Dawn of Understanding1918 · as Sue Prescott
• A Little Sister of Everybody1918 · as Celeste Janvier
• How Could You, Caroline?1918 · as Caroline Rogers
• The Great Adventure1918 · as Rags
• Polly Ann1917 · as Polly Ann
• Wee Lady Betty1917 · as Wee Lady Betty
• The Sawdust Ring1917 · as Janet Magie
• Cheerful Givers1917 · as Judy
• A Daughter of the Poor1917 · as Rose Eastman
• Nina, the Flower Girl1917 · as Nina
• The Heiress at Coffee Dan's1916 · as Waffles
• A Sister of Six1916 · as Prudence
• Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages1916 · as The Bride of Cana (Judean Story)
• Hell-to-Pay Austin1916 · as Briar Rose Dawson
• Stranded1916 · as The Girl
• The Mystery of the Leaping Fish1916 · as The Little Fish Blower
• Reggie Mixes In1916 · as Agnes
• The Good Bad-Man1916 · as Amy
• The Aryan1916 · as Mary Jane Garth
• The Flying Torpedo1916 · as Hulda
• Acquitted1916 · as Helen Carter

All TV Shows (8)

• Hollywood1980 · as Self
• Edward and Mrs Simpson1978 · as Lady Cunard
• Story Parade1964 · as Mrs. Arquette
• The Sentimental Agent1963 · as Mamie
• Man of the World1962 · as Mrs Van Kempson
• International Detective1959 · as Marta Steibel
• International Detective1959 · as Mrs. Morgan
• ITV Play of the Week1955 · as Mrs Strong