Acting
Bessie Love
EN, CY, DE cinema · 127 credits
Born
9 September 1898
Died
26 April 1986 (aged 87)
Birthplace
Midland, Texas, USA
Also known as Juanita Horton
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
Filmography
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché
as Self (archive footage)
Gareth Hughes
2000
Gareth Hughes
as Self (archive footage)
The Hunger
as Lillybelle
Reds
as Mrs. Partlow
Ragtime
as Old Lady - T.O.C.
Edward & Mrs. Simpson
as Lady Cunard
Gulliver's Travels
as (voice)
The Ritz
as Maurine
Mousey
as Mrs. Richardson
Vampyres
as American Lady
Sunday Bloody Sunday
as Answering Service Lady
Catlow
as Mrs. Frost
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
as Baccarat Player (uncredited)
Isadora
as Mrs. Duncan
Battle Beneath the Earth
as Matron
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
as American tourist (uncredited)
Promise Her Anything
as Pet Shop Customer
The Pistol
1965
The Pistol
as Martha Burroughs
The Wild Affair
as Marjorie's Mother
I Think They Call Him John
as Narrator (voice)
Children of the Damned
as Mrs. Robbin
Too Young to Love
as Mrs. Busch
Nowhere to Go
as Harriet P. Jefferson
Next to No Time
as Becky Wiener
The Story of Esther Costello
as Art Gallery Customer
Touch and Go
as Mrs Baxter
The Weak and the Wicked
as Prisoner
The Barefoot Contessa
as Mrs. Eubanks
The Magic Box
as Bride's Mother in Wedding Group
No Highway in the Sky
as Plane Passenger (uncredited)
Journey Together
as Mrs. Mary McWilliams
Atlantic Ferry
as Begonia Baggot
Morals for Women
as Helen Hutson
Conspiracy
as Margaret Holt
Chasing Rainbows
as Carlie Seymour
Good News
as Babe
See America Thirst
as Ellen
The Broadway Melody
as Harriet 'Hank' Mahoney
The Idle Rich
as Helen Thayer
The Girl in the Show
as Hattie Hartley
The Matinee Idol
as Ginger Bolivar
Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
as Mitzi Lavelle
Sally of the Scandals
as Sally Rand
Rubber Tires
as Mary Ellen Stack
Dress Parade
as Janet Cleghorne
The American
as Jane Wilton
A Harp in Hock
as Nora Banks
Young April
as Victoria
Going Crooked
as Marie
Lovey Mary
as Lovey Mary
The Lost World
as Paula White
The King On Main Street
as Mary Young
Soul-Fire
as Teita
A Son of His Father
as Nora Shea
Torment
as Marie
The Woman on the Jury
as Grace Pierce
Those Who Dance
as Veda Anargas
The Silent Watcher
as Mary, his wife
Dynamite Smith
as Violet
Sundown
as Ellen Crawley
The Eternal Three
as Hilda Gray
Souls for Sale
as Self - Celebrity Actress (uncredited)
Human Wreckage
as Mary Finnegan
Three Who Paid
1923
Three Who Paid
as John Caspar / Virginia Cartwright
The Purple Dawn
as Mui Far
Mary of the Movies
as Herself (uncredited)
St. Elmo
as Edna Earle
The Ghost Patrol
as Effie Kugler
Slave of Desire
as Pauline Gaudin
Gentle Julia
as Julia
The Village Blacksmith
as Rosemary Martin
Deserted at the Altar
as Anna Moore (The Country Girl)
The Vermilion Pencil
as Hyacinth
Forget Me Not
as Ann, The Girl
Bulldog Courage
1922
Bulldog Courage
as Gloria Phillips
The Sea Lion
as Blossom Nelson
The Swamp
as Mary
The Honor of Rameriz
as The Geologist's Wife
Pegeen
as Pegeen O'Neill
Bonnie May
as Bonnie May
The Midlanders
as Aurelie Lindstrom
The Wishing Ring Man
as Joy Havenith
The Enchanted Barn
as Shirley Hollister
A Yankee Princess
1919
A Yankee Princess
as Patsy O'Reilly, Screenplay
The Little Boss
as Peggy Winston (The Little Boss)
Cupid Forecloses
as Geraldine Farleigh
Over the Garden Wall
as Peggy Gordon
A Fighting Colleen
as Alannah Malone
How Could You, Caroline?
as Caroline Rogers
A Little Sister of Everybody
as Celeste Janvier
The Dawn of Understanding
as Sue Prescott
A Daughter of the Poor
as Rose Eastman
The Sawdust Ring
as Janet Magie
Wee Lady Betty
as Wee Lady Betty
Polly Ann
as Polly Ann
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
as The Bride of Cana (Judean Story)
The Mystery of the Leaping Fish
as The Little Fish Blower
Reggie Mixes In
as Agnes
The Aryan
as Mary Jane Garth
A Sister of Six
as Prudence
Acquitted
1916
Acquitted
as Helen Carter
Stranded
1916
Stranded
as The Girl
Hell-to-Pay Austin
1916
Hell-to-Pay Austin
as Briar Rose Dawson