Montagu Love
Montagu Love | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Harry Montague Love 15 March 1877 Southsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 17 May 1943 (aged 66) Beverly Hills, California United States |
| Other names | Montague Love [1] |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1914–1943 |
| Spouse | Marjorie Hollis Love |
Harry Montague Love (15 March 1877 – 17 May 1943), known professionally as Montagu Love, was a British screen and stage actor and illustrator.[1][2][3][4]
Early years

Harry Montague Love was born on 15 March 1877 in Southsea, Portsmouth, to Harry Love, an accountant, and Fanny Louisa Love (née Poad).[1][5][6]
Career
Educated in Great Britain, Love began his career as an artist, with his first important job as an illustrator for The Illustrated Daily News in London.[7]
Love's acting debut came with an American company in a production in the Isle of Wight.[7] His Broadway debut occurred in The Second in Command (1913). He was typically cast in heartless villain roles. In the 1920s, he played with Rudolph Valentino in The Son of the Sheik, opposite John Barrymore in Don Juan, and appeared with Lillian Gish in 1928's The Wind. He also portrayed 'Colonel Ibbetson' in Forever (1921), the silent film version of Peter Ibbetson. Love was one of the more successful villains in silent films.
One of Love's first sound films was the part-talkie The Mysterious Island co-starring Lionel Barrymore. In 1937, he played Henry VIII in the first talking film version of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, with Errol Flynn. Love played the bigoted Bishop of the Black Canons in The Adventures of Robin Hood, also starring Flynn. However, he also played gruff authoritarian figures, such as Monsieur Cavaignac, who, contrary to history, demands the resignation of those responsible for the Dreyfus cover-up, in The Life of Emile Zola (1937), as well as Don Alejandro de la Vega, whose son appears to be a fop but is actually Zorro, in the 1940 version of The Mark of Zorro, starring Tyrone Power.
In 1941, he played a doctor in Shining Victory. In 1939's Gunga Din, Montagu Love reads the final stanza of Rudyard Kipling's original poem over the body of the slain Din.
Love's last film to be released, Devotion, was released three years after his death aged 66 in 1943. He was interred at Chapel of the Pines Crematory. His last acting performance was in Wings Over the Pacific (1943).
Personal life and death
On 3 April 1929, Love married Marjorie Love (née Hollis), a stage actress, in Los Angeles.[3][8]
Besides acting, Montague had a keen interest in drawing and painting. He became very proficient in caricatures of cast mates and also military paintings, primarily those of British military uniforms.[9]
Death
On 17 May 1943, Love died aged 67 at his home in Beverly Hills, California.[1][3][9]
Filmography
Silent films
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | The Suicide Club | Prince Florizel | Maurice Elvey | Film debut | [10] |
| 1915 | Hearts in Exile | Count Nicolai | James Young | Credited as Montague Love | [11][12] |
| The Face in the Moonlight | Ambrose | Albert Capellani | Credited as Montague Love | [13] | |
| Sunday | Henry Brinthorpe | George Lederer | [14] | ||
| A Royal Family | Crown Prince of Kurland | William Nigh | Credited as Montague Love | [15] | |
| The Greater Will | Stuart Watson | Harley Knoles | Credited as Montague Love | [16] | |
| 1916 | The Devil's Toy | Wilfred Barsley | Harley Knoles | [17] | |
| A Woman's Way | Oliver Whitney | Barry O'Neil | [18] | ||
| Husband and Wife | Patrick Alliston | Barry O'Neil | [19] | ||
| Friday the 13th | Count Varneloff | Émile Chautard | Lost film | [20] | |
| The Gilded Cage | Baron Stefano | Harley Knowles | [21] | ||
| The Hidden Scar | Henry Dalton | Barry O'Neil | [22] | ||
| The Scarlet Oath | Nicholas Savaroff | Frank Powell and Travers Vale | [23] | ||
| Bought and Paid For | Robert Stafford | Harley Knoles | [24] | ||
| The Men She Married | Jerry Trainer | Harley Knoles | [25] | ||
| The Challenge | Quarrier | Donald McKenzie | [26] | ||
| 1917 | The Brand of Satan | Jacques Cordet | George Archainbaud | [27] | |
| The Guardian | James Rokeby | Arthur Ashley | Lost film | [28] | |
| The Dancer's Peril | Michael Pavloff | Travers Vale | [29] | ||
| Rasputin, The Black Monk | Gregory Novik, later known as Rasputin | Arthur Ashley | Lost film | [30] | |
| The Awakening | Jacques Revilly | George Archainbaud | [31] | ||
| Forget-Me-Not | Gabriel Barrato/Benedetto Barrato | Émile Chautard | Lost film | [32] | |
| The Dormant Power | Maurice Maxwell | Travers Vale | [33] | ||
| Yankee Pluck | Baron Wootchi | George Archainbaud | [34] | ||
| The Volunteer | Himself | Harley Knoles | Credited as Montague Love | [35] |
- Broken Ties (1918) as John Fleming
- The Cross Bearer (1918) as Cardinal Mercier
- Vengeance (1918) as Lorin Cuddlestone/John Cuddlestone
- Stolen Orders' (1918) as John Le Page
- The Cabaret (1918) as Jaffrey Darrel
- To Him That Hath (1918) as David Aldrich
- The Grouch (1918) as Donald Graham
- The Hand Invisible (1919) as Rodney Graham
- The Quickening Flame (1919) as John Steele
- Three Green Eyes (1919) as Allen Granat
- Through the Toils (1919) as Noel Graham/Lewis Moffat
- A Broadway Saint (1919) as Dick Vernon
- The Steel King (1919) as John Blake
- Man's Plaything (1920) as Pelton Vab Teel
- The Rough Neck (1919) as John Masters
- The World and His Wife (1920) as Don Julian
- The Riddle: Woman (1920) as Larz Olrik
- The Wrong Woman (1920) as William Marshall
- The Place of Honeymoons (1920) as Edward Courtlandt
- Shams of Society (1921) as Herbert Porter
- The Case of Becky (1921) as Prof. Balzamo
- Forever (1921) as Colonel Ibbetson
- Love's Redemption (1921) as Frederick Kent
- The Beauty Shop (1922) as Maldonado
- What's Wrong with the Women? (1922) as Arthur Belden
- The Secrets of Paris (1922) as The Schoolmaster
- The Darling of the Rich (1922) as Peyton Martin
- The Leopardess (1923) as Scott Quaigg
- Little Old New York (1923) as Minor Role
- The Eternal City (1923) as Charles Minghelli
- Restless Wives (1924) as Hugo Cady
- Roulette (1924) as Dan Carrington
- Week End Husbands (1924) as Thomas Mowry
- A Son of the Sahara (1924) as Sultan Cassim Ammeh/Colonel Barbier
- Love of Women (1924) as Bronson Gibbs
- Who's Cheating? (1924) as Harrison Fields
- Sinners in Heaven (1924) as Native Chief
- The Ancient Highway (1925) as Ivan Hurd
- The Desert's Price (1925) as Jim Martin
- The Mad Marriage (1925) as Unknown role
- Hands Up! (1926) as Capt. Edward Logan
- Brooding Eyes (1926) as Pat Callaghan
- Out of the Storm (1926) as Timothy Keith
- The Social Highwayman (1926) as Ducket Nelson
- Son of the Sheik (1926) as Ghabah
- Don Juan (1926) as Count Giano Donati
- The Silent Lover (1926) as Ben Achmed
- One Hour of Love (1927) as J.W. McKay
- The Night of Love (1927) as Duke de la Garda
- The King of Kings (1927) as Roman Centurion
- The Tender Hour (1927) as Grand Duke Sergei
- Rose of the Golden West (1927) as Gen. Vallero
- Jesse James (1927) as Frederick Mimms
- Good Time Charley (1927) as John Hartwell
- The Haunted Ship (1927) as Captain Simon Gant
- The Noose (1928) as Buck Gordon
- The Devil's Skipper (1928) as First Mate
- The Hawk's Nest (1928) as Dan Daugherty
- The Wind (1928) as Wirt Roddy
- The Haunted House (1928) as Mad Doctor
Sound films
- Synthetic Sin (1929) as Brandy Mulane
- The Last Warning (1929) as Arthur McHugh
- The Divine Lady (1929) as Captain Hardy
- Bulldog Drummond (1929) as Peterson
- Midstream (1929) as Dr. Nelson
- Charming Sinners (1929) as George Whitley
- Her Private Life (1929) as Sir Bruce Haden
- Silks and Saddles (1929) as Walter Sinclair
- A Most Immoral Lady (1929) as John Williams
- The Mysterious Island (1929) as Baron Falon
- Love Comes Along (1930) as Sangredo
- Double Cross Roads (1930) as Gene Dyke
- A Notorious Affair (1930) as Sir Thomas Hanley
- Back Pay (1930) as Charles Wheeler
- Inside the Lines (1930) as Governor of Gibraltar
- Outward Bound (1930) as Mr. Lingley
- Reno (1930) as Alexander W. Brett
- Kismet (1930) as The Jailer
- The Cat Creeps (1930) as Hendricks
- The Lion and the Lamb (1931) as Professor Tottie
- Alexander Hamilton (1931) as Thomas Jefferson
- Love Bound (1932) as John Randolph
- Stowaway (1932) as Groder
- Vanity Fair (1932) as Marquis of Steyne
- The Silver Lining (1932) as Michael Moore
- The Riding Tornado (1932) as Walt Corson
- The Midnight Lady (1932) as Harvey Austin
- Out of Singapore (1932) as Scar Murray – Boatswain
- The Mystic Hour (1933) as Captain James alias The Fox
- His Double Life (1933) as Duncan Farrel
- Menace (1934) as Police Inspector
- Limehouse Blues (1934) as Pug Talbot
- Clive of India (1935) as Gov. Pigot
- The Crusades (1935) as Hercules, The Blacksmith
- Hi, Gaucho! (1935) as Hillario Bolario
- The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (1935) as Director
- Sutter's Gold (1936) as Capt. Kettleson
- The Country Doctor (1936) as Sir Basil Crawford
- Frankie and Johnny (1936) as Colonel Brand (uncredited)
- Champagne Charlie (1936) as Ivan Suchine
- The White Angel (1936) as Mr. Bullock, Under Secretary of War
- Sing, Baby, Sing (1936) as Robert Wilson
- Reunion (1936) as Sir Basil Crawford
- Lloyd's of London (1936) as Hawkins
- One in a Million (1936) as Ratoffsky – alias of Sir Frederick Brooks, Olympic Secretary
- The Prince and the Pauper (1937) as Henry VIII
- Parnell (1937) as Gladstone
- London by Night (1937) as Sir Arthur Herrick
- The Life of Emile Zola (1937) as M. Cavaignac
- The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) as Detchard
- A Damsel in Distress (1937) as Lord Marshmorton
- Adventure's End (1937) as Capt. Abner Drew
- Tovarich (1937) as M. Courtois
- The Buccaneer (1938) as Admiral Cockburn
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) as Bishop of the Black Canons
- Kidnapped (1938) as Colonel Whitehead
- The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938, Serial) as General White
- Professor Beware (1938) as Professor Schmutz (uncredited)
- If I Were King (1938) as General Dudon
- Gunga Din (1939) as Colonel Weed
- Juarez (1939) as Jose de Montares
- Sons of Liberty (1939, Short) as George Washington
- The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) as Spanish Ambassador
- Rulers of the Sea (1939) as Malcolm Grant
- We Are Not Alone (1939) as Major Millman
- The Lone Wolf Strikes (1940) as Emil Gorlick
- Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) as Prof. Hartmann
- Northwest Passage (1940) as Wiseman Clagett
- The Sea Hawk (1940) as King Philip II
- All This, and Heaven Too (1940) as Marechal Sebastiani
- Private Affairs (1940) as Noble Bullerton
- A Dispatch from Reuter's (1940) as John Delane
- North West Mounted Police (1940) as Inspector Cabot
- The Mark of Zorro (1940) as Don Alejandro Vega
- The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) as Prime Minister Baron Von Neuhoff
- Hudson's Bay (1941) as Governor D'Argenson
- The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) as Harrison
- Shining Victory (1941) as Dr. Blake
- Lady for a Night (1942) as Judge
- The Remarkable Andrew (1942) as General George Washington
- The Voice of Terror (1942) as General Jerome Lawford
- Tennessee Johnson (1942) as Chief Justice Chase
- Forever and a Day (1943) as Sir John Bunn
- The Constant Nymph (1943) as Albert Sanger (released posthumously)
- Wings Over the Pacific (1943) as Jim Butler (released posthumously)
- Holy Matrimony (1943) as Judge (uncredited; released posthumously)
- Devotion (1946) as Rev. Brontë (final role; released posthumously)
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Playwright | Venue | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | The Second in Command | Performer | Robert Marshall | Wallack's Theatre | [36] |
| The Ghost of Jerry Bundler | Performer | Charles Rock and W. W. Jacobs | Wallack's Theatre | [37] | |
| Beauty and the Barge | Performer | W. W. Jacobs | Wallack's Theatre | [38] | |
| Grumpy | Performer | Horace Hodges and T. Wigney Percyval | Wallack's Theatre | [39] | |
| 1915 | The Adventure of Lady Ursula | Performer | Anthony Hope | Maxine Elliott's Theatre | [40] |
| You Never Can Tell | Mr. Bohun (Replacement) | George Bernard Shaw | Garrick Theatre | [41] | |
| Arms and the Man | Major Sergius Saranoff (Replacement) | George Bernard Shaw | Garrick Theatre | [42] | |
| Candida | The Reverend James Mavor Morell (Replacement) | George Bernard Shaw | Garrick Theatre | [43] | |
| Search Me | Performer | Augustin MacHugh | Gaiety Theatre | [44] | |
| Husband and Wife | Performer | Charles Kenyon | 48th Street Theatre | [45] | |
| The Ware Case | Performer | George Pleydell Bancroft | Maxine Elliott's Theatre | [46] | |
| 1916 | The Great Pursuit | Performer | C. Haddon Chambers | Shubert Theatre | [47] |
| 1921 | The Survival of the Fittest | John Webster | George Atkinson | Greenwich Village Theatre | [48] |
| 1930 | A Kiss of Importance | Gilbert Laurent Courcel | Arthur Hornblow Jr. | Fulton Theatre | [49] |
| 1932 | Firebird | Police Commissioner Szentesi | Lajos Zilahy | Empire Theatre | [50] |
| 1933 | Hangman's Whip | Prin | Norman Reilly Raine, Frank Butler | St. James Theatre | [51] |
| Birthright | Jakob Eisner | Richard Maibaum | 49th Street Theatre | [52] | |
| 1934 | The Wooden Slipper | Otto Zigurny | Ritz Theatre | Samson Raphaelson | [53] |
| Richard of Bordeaux | Earl of Arundel | Gordon Daviot | Empire Theatre | [54] |
Gallery
-
Rasputin, the Black Monk (1917) -
The Guardian (1917) -
Cardinal Mercier was the working title for The Cross Bearer (1918)
References
- ^ a b c d "Love, Montagu, 1877-1943". Library of Congress Name Authority File. Washington, D.C. 2025. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "Montagu Love (Performer)". Playbill: Person. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "Montagu Love, Film Actor, Dies BEVERLY HILLS. May 18". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. 18 May 1943. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Montagu Love Dies". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Vol. 16, no. 230. 19 May 1943. p. 2. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ "Harry Montague Love". 1901 England Census. Class: RG13, Piece: 990, Folio: 40. Kew, Surrey: The National Archives: 28. 1901.
- ^ "Harry Love". 1881 England Census. Class: RG11, Piece: 1161, Folio: 91, GSU roll: 1341284. Kew, Surrey: The National Archive: 15. 1881.
- ^ a b "Montagu Love refused to be a minister". The San Francisco Examiner. California, San Francisco. 29 September 1921. p. 13. Retrieved 9 September 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Eby, Carl P. (2006). "Wake Up Alone and Like It!: Dorothy Hollis, Marjorie Hillis, and To Have and Have Not". The Hemingway Review. 26 (1). The Hemingway Foundation and Society: 96–105. doi:10.1353/hem.2006.0045. ISSN 1548-4815. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ a b Vivian, L. (19 May 1943). "Obituary: Montagu Love". Daily News. New York City. Associated Press. p. 469. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- ^ BFI. "The Suicide Club". BFI Collections Search. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ de Groat, Greta (2011). "Hearts in Exile (1915)". Clara Kimball Young. Stanford, California: Stanford University. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "Hearts in Exile (1915)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Face in the Moonlight (1915)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "Sunday (1915)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "A Royal Family (1915)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Greater Will (1915)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Devil's Toy (1916)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "A Woman's Way (1916)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "Husband and Wife (1916)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "Friday the 13th (1916)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ BFI. "The Gilded Cage". BFI Collections Search. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ BFI. "The Hidden Scar". BFI Collections Search. London: British Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Scarlet Oath (1916)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "Bought and Paid For (1916)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Men She Married (1916)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Challenge (1916)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Brand of Satan (1917)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Guardian (1917)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Dancer's Peril] (1917)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "Rasputin, The Black Monk". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Awakening (1917)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "Forget-Me-Not (1917)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Dormant Power (1917)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "Yankee Pluck (1917)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ AFI. "The Volunteer (1917)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ IBDB. "The Second in Command". Internet Broadway Database. New York City: The Broadway League. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ IBDB. "The Ghost of Jerry Bundler". Internet Broadway Database. New York City: The Broadway League. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ IBDB. "Beauty and the Barge". Internet Broadway Database. New York City: The Broadway League. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ IBDB. "Grumpy". Internet Broadway Database. New York City: The Broadway League. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "The Adventure of Lady Ursula". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "You Never Can Tell". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "Arms and the Man". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "Candida". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "Search Me". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "Husband and Wife". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "The Ware Case". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "The Great Pursuit". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "The Survival of the Fittest". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "A Kiss of Importance". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "Firebird". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "Hangman's Whip". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "Birthright". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "The Wooden Slipper". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
- ^ Playbill. "Richard of Bordeaux". Production. New York City: Playbill. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
External links
- Montagu Love at IMDb
- Silent Ladies & Gents
- Montagu Love at the Internet Broadway Database
- Montagu Love at Virtual History
