Montagu Love Explained

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. 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 66 at his home in Beverly Hills, California.^{[1] [3] [9]}

Filmography

Silent films

Year	Title	Role	Director	Notes
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
• (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
1913	The Second in Command	Performer	Robert Marshall	Wallack's Theatre	[36]
	The Ghost of Jerry Bundler	Performer		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		Otto Zigurny	Ritz Theatre	Samson Raphaelson	[53]
	Richard of Bordeaux	Earl of Arundel	Gordon Daviot	Empire Theatre	[54]

External links

• • Silent Ladies & Gents
  • Montagu Love at Virtual History

Notes and References

1. Web site: Love, Montagu, 1877-1943 . Library of Congress Name Authority File . 1 November 2025 . Washington, D.C. . 2025.
2. Web site: Playbill . Montagu Love (Performer) . Playbill: Person . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
3. News: Montagu Love, Film Actor, Dies BEVERLY HILLS. May 18. . 1 November 2025 . The Miami News . 18 May 1943 . Miami, Florida.
4. News: Montagu Love Dies . 1 November 2025 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . 16 . 230 . 19 May 1943 . 2.
5. Harry Montague Love . 1901 England Census . 1901 . Class: RG13; Piece: 990; Folio: 40 . 28 . The National Archives . Kew, Surrey.
6. Harry Love . 1881 England Census . 1881 . Class: RG11; Piece: 1161; Folio: 91; GSU roll: 1341284 . 15 . The National Archive . Kew, Surrey.
7. News: Montagu Love refused to be a minister . 9 September 2019 . The San Francisco Examiner . 29 September 1921 . California, San Francisco . 13. Newspapers.com.
8. Eby . Carl P. . Wake Up Alone and Like It!: Dorothy Hollis, Marjorie Hillis, and To Have and Have Not . The Hemingway Review . 2006 . 26 . 1 . 96–105 . 10.1353/hem.2006.0045 . 1 November 2025 . The Hemingway Foundation and Society . 1548-4815. subscription .
9. News: Vivian . L. . Obituary: Montagu Love . 9 September 2019 . Daily News . Associated Press . 19 May 1943 . New York City . 469.
10. Web site: BFI . The Suicide Club . BFI Collections Search . British Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . London.
11. Web site: de Groat . Greta . Hearts in Exile (1915) . Clara Kimball Young . Stanford University . 1 November 2025 . Stanford, California . 2011.
12. Web site: AFI . Hearts in Exile (1915) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
13. Web site: AFI . The Face in the Moonlight (1915) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
14. Web site: AFI . Sunday (1915) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
15. Web site: AFI . A Royal Family (1915) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
16. Web site: AFI . The Greater Will (1915) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
17. Web site: AFI . The Devil's Toy (1916) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
18. Web site: AFI . A Woman's Way (1916) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
19. Web site: AFI . Husband and Wife (1916) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
20. Web site: AFI . Friday the 13th (1916) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
21. Web site: BFI . The Gilded Cage . BFI Collections Search . British Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . London.
22. Web site: BFI . The Hidden Scar . BFI Collections Search . British Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . London.
23. Web site: AFI . The Scarlet Oath (1916) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
24. Web site: AFI . Bought and Paid For (1916) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
25. Web site: AFI . The Men She Married (1916) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
26. Web site: AFI . The Challenge (1916) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
27. Web site: AFI . The Brand of Satan (1917) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
28. Web site: AFI . The Guardian (1917) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
29. Web site: AFI . The Dancer's Peril (1917) ]. AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
30. Web site: AFI . Rasputin, The Black Monk . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
31. Web site: AFI . The Awakening (1917) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
32. Web site: AFI . Forget-Me-Not (1917) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
33. Web site: AFI . The Dormant Power (1917) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
34. Web site: AFI . Yankee Pluck (1917) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
35. Web site: AFI . The Volunteer (1917) . AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute . 1 November 2025 . Los Angeles, California.
36. Web site: IBDB . The Second in Command . Internet Broadway Database . The Broadway League . 2 November 2025 . New York City.
37. Web site: IBDB . The Ghost of Jerry Bundler . Internet Broadway Database . The Broadway League . 2 November 2025 . New York City.
38. Web site: IBDB . Beauty and the Barge . Internet Broadway Database . The Broadway League . 2 November 2025 . New York City.
39. Web site: IBDB . Grumpy . Internet Broadway Database . The Broadway League . 2 November 2025 . New York City.
40. Web site: Playbill . The Adventure of Lady Ursula . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
41. Web site: Playbill . You Never Can Tell . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
42. Web site: Playbill . Arms and the Man . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
43. Web site: Playbill . Candida . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
44. Web site: Playbill . Search Me . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
45. Web site: Playbill . Husband and Wife . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
46. Web site: Playbill . The Ware Case . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
47. Web site: Playbill . The Great Pursuit . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
48. Web site: Playbill . The Survival of the Fittest . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
49. Web site: Playbill . A Kiss of Importance . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
50. Web site: Playbill . Firebird . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
51. Web site: Playbill . Hangman's Whip . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
52. Web site: Playbill . Birthright . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
53. Web site: Playbill . The Wooden Slipper . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.
54. Web site: Playbill . Richard of Bordeaux . Production . Playbill . 1 November 2025 . New York City.