Acting · Midland, Texas, USA · Born September 9, 1898
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.
MovieBe Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
2018
as Self (archive footage)
Gareth Hughes
2000
as Self (archive footage)
MovieAlice Guy-Blaché
1997
as Self
MovieThe Hunger
1983
as Lillybelle
MovieReds
1981
as Mrs. Partlow
MovieRagtime
1981
as Old Lady - T.O.C.
MovieLady Chatterley's Lover
1981
as Flora
TVHollywood
1980
as Self
TVEdward and Mrs Simpson
1978
as Lady Cunard
MovieEdward & Mrs. Simpson
1978
as Lady Cunard
MovieGulliver's Travels
1977
as (voice)
MovieThe Ritz
1976
as Maurine
MovieVampyres
1974
as American Lady
MovieMousey
1974
as Mrs. Richardson
MovieCatlow
1971
as Mrs. Frost
MovieSunday Bloody Sunday
1971
as Answering Service Lady
MovieOn Her Majesty's Secret Service
1969
as Baccarat Player (uncredited)
MovieIsadora
1968
as Mrs. Duncan
MovieI'll Never Forget What's'isname
1967
as American tourist (uncredited)
MovieBattle Beneath the Earth
1967
as Matron
MoviePromise Her Anything
1966
as Pet Shop Customer
MovieThe Wild Affair
1965
as Marjorie's Mother
The Pistol
1965
as Martha Burroughs
MovieI Think They Call Him John
1964
as Narrator (voice)
Story Parade
1964
as Mrs. Arquette
MovieChildren of the Damned
1964
as Mrs. Robbin
TVThe Sentimental Agent
1963
as Mamie
TVMan of the World
1962
as Mrs Van Kempson
MovieThe Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
1961
as Bunny
MovieToo Young to Love
1960
as Mrs. Busch
International Detective
1959
as Marta Steibel
MovieNowhere to Go
1958
as Harriet P. Jefferson
MovieNext to No Time
1958
as Becky Wiener
MovieThe Story of Esther Costello
1957
as Art Gallery Customer
MovieTouch and Go
1955
as Mrs Baxter
TVITV Play of the Week
1955
as Mrs Strong
MovieThe Barefoot Contessa
1954
as Mrs. Eubanks
MovieThe Weak and the Wicked
1954
as Prisoner
MovieThe Magic Box
1952
as Bride's Mother in Wedding Group
MovieNo Highway in the Sky
1951
as Plane Passenger (uncredited)
MovieJourney Together
1945
as Mrs. Mary McWilliams
London Scrapbook
1942
as Herself
MovieAtlantic Ferry
1941
as Begonia Baggot
MovieMorals for Women
1931
as Helen Hutson
MovieRound About Hollywood
1931
as Self
MovieSee America Thirst
1930
as Ellen
MovieGood News
1930
as Babe
MovieConspiracy
1930
as Margaret Holt
MovieThey Learned About Women
1930
as Mary
MovieChasing Rainbows
1930
as Carlie Seymour
MovieThe Hollywood Revue of 1929
1929
as Self
MovieThe Girl in the Show
1929
as Hattie Hartley
MovieThe Idle Rich
1929
as Helen Thayer
MovieThe Broadway Melody
1929
as Harriet 'Hank' Mahoney
MovieAnybody Here Seen Kelly?
1928
as Mitzi Lavelle
MovieSally of the Scandals
1928
as Sally Rand
MovieThe Swell Head
1928
MovieThe Matinee Idol
1928
as Ginger Bolivar
MovieDress Parade
1927
as Janet Cleghorne
MovieA Harp in Hock
1927
as Nora Banks
MovieRubber Tires
1927
as Mary Ellen Stack
MovieThe American
1927
as Jane Wilton
MovieGoing Crooked
1926
as Marie
MovieYoung April
1926
as Victoria
MovieLovey Mary
1926
as Lovey Mary
The Song and Dance Man
1926
as Leola Lane
MovieThe King On Main Street
1925
as Mary Young
MovieNew Brooms
1925
MovieA Son of His Father
1925
as Nora Shea
MovieSoul-Fire
1925
as Teita
MovieThe Lost World
1925
as Paula White
Tongues of Flame
1924
as Lahleet
MovieSundown
1924
as Ellen Crawley
MovieDynamite Smith
1924
as Violet
MovieThe Silent Watcher
1924
as Mary, his wife
MovieThose Who Dance
1924
as Veda Anargas
MovieThe Woman on the Jury
1924
as Grace Pierce
MovieTorment
1924
as Marie
MovieGentle Julia
1923
as Julia
MovieSlave of Desire
1923
as Pauline Gaudin
MovieSt. Elmo
1923
as Edna Earle
MovieThe Eternal Three
1923
as Hilda Gray
MovieHuman Wreckage
1923
as Mary Finnegan
MovieMary of the Movies
1923
as Herself (uncredited)
MovieThe Purple Dawn
1923
as Mui Far
MovieSouls for Sale
1923
as Self - Celebrity Actress (uncredited)
MovieThe Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous
1923
as Bernice
MovieThe Ghost Patrol
1923
as Effie Kugler
Three Who Paid
1923
as John Caspar / Virginia Cartwright
MovieDeserted at the Altar
1922
as Anna Moore (The Country Girl)
MovieNight Life in Hollywood
1922
as Self
MovieScreen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 12
1922
as Self
MovieThe Village Blacksmith
1922
as Rosemary Martin
Bulldog Courage
1922
as Gloria Phillips
MovieForget Me Not
1922
as Ann, The Girl
MovieThe Vermilion Pencil
1922
as Hyacinth
MovieThe Wampas Baby Stars of 1922
1922
as Self
MovieThe Sea Lion
1921
as Blossom Nelson
MovieThe Swamp
1921
as Mary
The Spirit of the Lake
1921
MovieThe Honor of Rameriz
1921
as The Geologist's Wife
MoviePenny of Top Hill Trail
1921
as Penny
MovieThe Midlanders
1920
as Aurelie Lindstrom
MovieBonnie May
1920
as Bonnie May
MoviePegeen
1920
as Pegeen O'Neill
MovieA Fighting Colleen
1919
as Alannah Malone
MovieOver the Garden Wall
1919
as Peggy Gordon
MovieCupid Forecloses
1919
as Geraldine Farleigh
MovieThe Little Boss
1919
as Peggy Winston (The Little Boss)
A Yankee Princess
1919
as Patsy O'Reilly
MovieThe Wishing Ring Man
1919
as Joy Havenith
MovieCarolyn of the Corners
1919
MovieThe Enchanted Barn
1919
as Shirley Hollister
MovieThe Dawn of Understanding
1918
as Sue Prescott
MovieA Little Sister of Everybody
1918
as Celeste Janvier
MovieHow Could You, Caroline?
1918
as Caroline Rogers
MovieThe Great Adventure
1918
as Rags
MoviePolly Ann
1917
as Polly Ann
MovieWee Lady Betty
1917
as Wee Lady Betty
MovieThe Sawdust Ring
1917
as Janet Magie
MovieCheerful Givers
1917
as Judy
MovieA Daughter of the Poor
1917
as Rose Eastman
MovieNina, the Flower Girl
1917
as Nina
The Heiress at Coffee Dan's
1916
as Waffles
MovieA Sister of Six
1916
as Prudence
MovieIntolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
1916
as The Bride of Cana (Judean Story)
Hell-to-Pay Austin
1916
as Briar Rose Dawson
Stranded
1916
as The Girl
MovieThe Mystery of the Leaping Fish
1916
as The Little Fish Blower
MovieReggie Mixes In
1916
as Agnes
MovieThe Good Bad-Man
1916
as Amy
MovieThe Aryan
1916
as Mary Jane Garth
MovieThe Flying Torpedo
1916
as Hulda
Acquitted
1916
as Helen Carter
