Bessie Love

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Bessie Love (1925)

Bessie Love (born September 10, 1898 in Midland , Texas , † April 26, 1986 in London , England ; actually Juanita Horton ) was an American actress whose career spanned the early days of the silent film into the early 1980s. She became known as the first musical star in the sound film .

Career

Bessie Love began her career in 1915 and won audiences and critics alike the following year by starring alongside Douglas Fairbanks and William S. Hart . David Wark Griffith gave her the role of "Bride of Cana" in his monumental film Intolerance . However, the actress did not make the leap to become a top star. Every good role was followed by numerous appearances in B-films . In 1922 she was chosen as one of the first WAMPAS Baby Stars . In 1925, she introduced the Charleston to the screen in The King of Main Street .

In 1929, now under contract with MGM , Bessie Love made a comeback. She took on one of the two leading female roles in the musical The Broadway Melody , which created a new genre with the slogan "All Talking, All Singing, All Dancing". Her portrayal of an unhappily in love young dancer won Bessie Love a nomination for an Oscar for best actress . After a few less successful appearances in musicals, she retired from the film business in 1931. Over the next few years she was more or less successful on various stages and vaudevilles, including the New York Palace . In 1935 the actress moved to England completely and lived in London for the rest of her life. Numerous appearances in British films as well as on stage and on television kept her name in the minds of the audience. Bessie Love also wrote a number of plays and stage shows, including the 1958 drama Homecoming .

Her best-known appearances of the later years included the role as mother of Isadora Duncan alongside Vanessa Redgrave in Karel Reisz ' Isadora and a small part in John Schlesinger's Sunday, Bloody Sunday . In 1972 she had a great success as "Aunt Pittypat" in the stage version of Gone With the Wind . Their last performances had 1981 in Reds by Warren Beatty and desire from the year 1983rd

She was from 1929 until the divorce in 1936 with the talent manager and later film producer William B. Hawks , brother of Howard and Kenneth Hawks , married. The marriage resulted in a daughter in 1932. Love died at the age of 87.

A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6777 Hollywood Boulevard commemorates the actress.

Awards

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Bessie Love  - collection of images
personal data
SURNAME Love, Bessie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Horton, Juanita (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH September 10, 1898
PLACE OF BIRTH Midland , Texas , United States
DATE OF DEATH April 26, 1986
Place of death London , England , UK