Bessie Love
| Bessie Love | |
|---|---|
 c. 1916 |
|
| Born | Juanita Horton September 10, 1898 Midland, Texas, United States |
| Died | April 26, 1986 (aged 87) London, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1915–83 |
| Spouse(s) | William Hawks (1929-35) (divorced) 1 daughter |
Bessie Love (September 10, 1898 – April 26, 1986) was an American motion picture actress who achieved prominence mainly in the silent films and early talkies.[1] With a small frame and delicate features, she played innocent young girls, flappers, and wholesome leading ladies. Her role in The Broadway Melody (1929) earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In addition to her acting career, she wrote the screenplay for the 1919 film A Yankee Princess.[2]
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Early life [edit]
Love was born Juanita Horton in Midland, Texas. She attended school in Midland until she was in the eighth grade, when her chiropractor father moved his family to Hollywood. Bessie graduated from Los Angeles High School and then received from her parents the graduation present of a trip around the United States. After six months of traveling, she finally returned home to Los Angeles.
Career [edit]
The Silent Era [edit]
To help with the family's financial situation, Love's mother sent her to Biograph Studios, where she met pioneering film director D.W. Griffith. Griffith, who introduced Bessie Love to films, also gave the actress her screen name. He gave her a small role in his film Intolerance (1916). She also appeared opposite William S. Hart in The Aryan and with Douglas Fairbanks in The Good Bad Man, Reggie Mixes In, and The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (all 1916).
In 1922 Love was selected one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars.[2][3] In 1923, she starred in Human Wreckage with Dorothy Davenport and produced by Thomas Ince.
As her roles got larger, so did her popularity. She performed the Charleston in the film The King on Main Street in 1925. Also that same year she starred in The Lost World, a science fiction adventure based on the novel of the same name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Three years later she starred in The Matinee Idol, a romantic comedy directed by a young Frank Capra.
The Sound Era [edit]
Love was able to successfully transition to talkies, and in 1929 she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Broadway Melody. She also appeared in several other early musicals including The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929), Chasing Rainbows (1930), Good News (1930), and They Learned About Women (1930).
However, by 1932 her American film career was in decline. She moved to England in 1935 and did stage work and occasional films there. As war came in Europe she returned to the US for a while, worked for the Red Cross, and entertained the troops. After the war she moved back to Britain where she kept her main residence, and continued to play small film roles for film companies in both the US and Britain. She appeared in films such as The Barefoot Contessa (1954) with Humphrey Bogart, Ealing Studios' Nowhere to Go (1958), and as an American tourist in The Greengage Summer (1961) starring Kenneth More.[3] She also played a small role as an American tourist in the James Bond thriller On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969). She played a small but pivotal role as a switchboard operator in 1971's Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Her career came to a quick halt soon after that however, and she moved permanently to the United Kingdom, becoming a British citizen. She made a comeback in the 1980s with roles in Ragtime (1981), Warren Beatty's Reds (1981), Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981) and (her final film) The Hunger (1983) starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon. During her lifetime, Love was featured in 131 films and TV episodes.[2]
Personal life [edit]
In 1977 she published an autobiography, From Hollywood with Love. She was at this time living comfortably in a flat overlooking London’s Clapham Common and had recently appeared in a television account of the abdication of King Edward VIII.
She recorded that during World War II in Britain when she found acting work hard to come by she had been the "continuity girl" on the film drama San Demetrio London, an account of a ship badly damaged in the Atlantic but whose crew managed to bring her to port. She also says she had regular diet in the post-war era of stage roles as an American Tourist and similar roles, and was "Aunt Pittypat" in a large-scale musical version of Gone With the Wind.
Love married agent William Hawks (January 29, 1901 Neenah, Wisconsin – January 10, 1969 Santa Monica, California) at St. James Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California on December 27, 1929. Mary Astor, Bebe Daniels, Carmel Myers, Norma Shearer and Blanche Sweet were her bridesmaids, William's brother Howard Hawks and Irving Thalberg ushered. Mary Astor was William's sister-in-law, married to brother Kenneth Hawks. They then lived at the Havenhurst Apartments in Hollywood. They had daughter Patricia Hawks (February 19, 1932 Los Angeles, California) who had some bit parts in movies in 1952. They divorced in 1935.
Love died in London, England from natural causes on April 26, 1986. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6777 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.
Filmography [edit]
Silent Films: 1915–1928 [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | Georgia Pearce | an IMDb error[4] | ||
| 1916 | Acquitted | Helen Carter | Triangle | Lost |
| 1916 | The Flying Torpedo | Hulda | Triangle | Lost |
| 1916 | The Aryan | Mary Jane Garth | Triangle | Extant |
| 1916 | The Good Bad Man | Amy | Triangle | Extant |
| 1916 | Reggie Mixes In | Agnes | Triangle | Extant |
| 1916 | The Mystery of the Leaping Fish | The Little Fish Blower | Triangle | Extant |
| 1916 | Stranded | The Girl | Triangle | Lost |
| 1916 | Intolerance | The Bride | Triangle | Extant |
| 1916 | Hell-to-Pay Austin | Briar Rose Dawson | Triangle | Lost |
| 1916 | A Sister of Six | Prudence | Triangle | Lost |
| 1916 | The Heiress at Coffee Dan's | Waffles | Triangle | Lost |
| 1917 | Nina, the Flower Girl | Nina | Triangle | Lost |
| 1917 | A Daughter of the Poor | Rose Eastman | Triangle | Lost |
| 1917 | Cheerful Givers | Judy | Triangle | Lost |
| 1917 | The Sawdust Ring | Janet Magie | Triangle | Extant |
| 1917 | Wee Lady Betty | Wee Lady Betty | Triangle | |
| 1917 | Polly Ann | Polly Ann | Triangle | |
| 1918 | The Great Adventure | Rags | Pathe | |
| 1918 | How Could You, Caroline? | Caroline Rogers | Pathe | |
| 1918 | A Little Sister of Everybody | Celeste Janvier | Pathe | |
| 1918 | The Dawn of Understanding | Sue Prescott | Vitagraph | |
| 1919 | The Enchanted Barn | Shirley Hollister | Vitagraph | |
| 1919 | Carolyn of the Corners | Carolyn May Cameron | Pathe | |
| 1919 | The Wishing Ring Man | Joy Havenith | Vitagraph | |
| 1919 | A Yankee Princess | Patsy O'Reilly | Vitagraph | |
| 1919 | The Little Boss | Peggy Winston (The Little Boss) | Vitagraph | |
| 1919 | Cupid Forecloses | Geraldine Farleigh | Vitagraph | |
| 1919 | Over the Garden Wall | Peggy Gordon | Vitagraph | |
| 1919 | A Fighting Colleen | Alannah Malone | Vitagraph | |
| 1920 | The Midlanders | Aurelie Lindstrom | Federated Film Exchanges | |
| 1920 | Pegeen | Pegeen O'Neill | Vitagraph | |
| 1920 | Bonnie May | Bonnie May | Federated Film Exchanges | |
| 1921 | Penny of Top Hill Trail | Penny | Federated Film Exchanges | |
| 1921 | The Honor of Ramirez (short) | |||
| 1921 | The Spirit of the Lake (short) | |||
| 1921 | The Swamp | Mary | Robertson-Cole | Extant; Gosfilmofond |
| 1921 | The Sea Lion | Blossom Nelson | Associated Producers | Extant |
| 1922 | The Vermilion Pencil | Hyacinth | Robertson-Cole | |
| 1922 | Forget Me Not | Ann, The Girl | Metro Pictures | |
| 1922 | Bulldog Courage | Gloria Phillips | Clinton | |
| 1922 | The Village Blacksmith | Rosemary Martin, the Daughter | Fox | Incomplete; 1 reel survives |
| 1922 | Deserted at the Altar | Anna Moore (the country girl) | Phil Goldstone | |
| 1923 | Three Who Paid | John Caspar/Virginia Cartwright | Fox | |
| 1923 | The Ghost Patrol | Effie Kugler | Universal | |
| 1923 | Purple Dawn | Mui Far | Aywon/State's Rights | |
| 1923 | Human Wreckage | Mary Finnegan | FBO | Lost |
| 1923 | The Eternal Three | Hilda Gray | Goldwyn | Lost |
| 1923 | St. Elmo | Edna Earle | Fox | Lost; per silentera.com |
| 1923 | Slave of Desire | Pauline Gaudin | Goldwyn | Lost |
| 1923 | Gentle Julia | Julia | Fox | Lost |
| 1924 | Torment | Marie | Tourneur/Asso.First National | Lost |
| 1924 | The Woman on the Jury | Grace Pierce | Asso. First National | Lost |
| 1924 | Those Who Dance | Veda Carney | Ince/Asso. First National | |
| 1924 | The Silent Watcher | Mary, his wife | First National | Lost |
| 1924 | Dynamite Smith | Ince/Pathe | Lost | |
| 1924 | Sundown | Ellen Crawley | First National | Lost |
| 1924 | Tongues of Flame | Lahleet | Paramount | Lost |
| 1925 | The Lost World | Paula White | First National | Extant |
| 1925 | Soul-Fire | Teita | First National | Extant |
| 1925 | A Son of His Father | Nora Shea | Paramount | Lost |
| 1925 | New Brooms | Geraldine Marsh | Paramount | Lost |
| 1925 | The King on Main Street | Mary Young | Paramount | Extant |
| 1926 | The Song and Dance Man | Leola Lane | Paramount | Extant; Library of Congress |
| 1926 | Lovey Mary | Lovey Mary | MGM | Lost |
| 1926 | Meet the Prince | PDC | ||
| 1926 | Young April | Victoria | PDC | Extant |
| 1926 | Going Crooked | Marie | Fox | Extant; Museum of Modern Art |
| 1927 | The American | Natural Vision Pictures | film was supposedly never released | |
| 1927 | Rubber Tires | Mary Ellen Stack | PDC | Extant |
| 1927 | A Harp in Hock | Nora Banks | Pathe | Lost; per Arne Andersin's Lost Film Files |
| 1927 | Amateur Night (short) | uncredited | Warner Brothers/Vitaphone | |
| 1927 | Dress Parade | Janet Cleghorne | Pathe | Extant |
| 1928 | The Matinee Idol | Ginger Bolivar | Columbia | Extant |
| 1928 | Sally of the Scandals | Sally Rand | FBO | |
| 1928 | Anybody Here Seen Kelly? | Mitzi Lavelle | Universal | Lost; per Lost Film Files |
Sound Films: 1929–1983 [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Studio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | The Broadway Melody | Hank Mahoney | MGM | Extant |
| 1929 | The Idle Rich | Helen Thayer | MGM | Extant |
| 1929 | The Girl in the Show | Hattie Hartley | MGM | Extant |
| 1930 | Chasing Rainbows | Carlie Semour | MGM | Extant |
| 1930 | They Learned About Women | Mary Collins | MGM | Extant |
| 1930 | Conspiracy | Margaret Holt | RKO | Extant |
| 1930 | Good News | Dixie O'Day | MGM | Extant; but missing Technicolor ending |
| 1930 | See America Thirst | Ellen | Universal | Extant; UCLA per IMDB and Library of Congress per their catalog |
| 1931 | Morals for Women | Helen Huston | Tiffany | Extant |
| 1936 | I Live Again | Kathleen Vernon | National Provincial Film Distributors-UK | |
| 1941 | Atlantic Ferry | Begonia Baggot | Warner Brothers | |
| 1945 | Journey Together | Mrs. Mary McWilliams | ||
| 1951 | No Highway in the Sky | Aircraft passenger (uncredited) | ||
| 1951 | The Magic Box | wedding group member | ||
| 1954 | Young and Willing | Prisoner | ||
| 1954 | The Barefoot Contessa | Mrs. Eubanks | ||
| 1954 | Beau Brummell | Maid (uncredited) | ||
| 1955 | Touch and Go | Mrs. Baxter | ||
| 1957 | The Story of Esther Costello | Matron in Art Gallery | ||
| 1958 | Next to No Time | Becky Wiener | ||
| 1958 | Nowhere to Go | Harriet P. Jefferson | ||
| 1960 | Too Young to Love | Mrs. Busch | ||
| 1961 | Loss of Innocence | American tourist | ||
| 1961 | The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone | Bunny | ||
| 1963 | The Wild Affair | Marjorie's Mother | ||
| 1963 | Children of the Damned | Mrs. Robbins, Mark's Grandmother | ||
| 1965 | Promise Her Anything | Pet Shop Customer | ||
| 1966 | The Poppy Is Also a Flower | uncredited | ||
| 1967 | Battle Beneath the Earth | Matron | ||
| 1967 | I'll Never Forget What's'isname | American tourist | ||
| 1968 | Isadora | Mrs. Duncan | ||
| 1971 | Sunday Bloody Sunday | Answering Service Lady | ||
| 1971 | Catlow | Mrs. Frost | ||
| 1974 | Vampyres | American Lady | ||
| 1976 | The Ritz | Maurine | ||
| 1981 | Reds | Mrs. Partlow | ||
| 1981 | Ragtime | Old T.O.C. Lady | ||
| 1981 | Lady Chatterley's Lover | Flora | ||
| 1983 | The Hunger | Lillybelle |
References [edit]
- ^ Obituary Variety, April 30, 1986.
- ^ a b c Bessie Love - Biography
- ^ a b © Bessie Love - Silent and Sound Film Actress - goldensilents.com
- ^ Georgia Pearce was the name Constance Talmadge was billed under in the Babylonian and French(Hugenot) stories of D.W. Griffith's Intolerance. Love also appeared in the film in the Judean story. No single film Georgia Pearce was made.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bessie Love |
- Bessie Love at the Internet Movie Database
- Silent Ladies and Gents features pictures of Bessie Love
- Article about Bessie Love
- Bessie Love at Find a Grave
- Literature on Bessie Love
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