Jean Arthur
96 movies · 2 TV shows
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Oct 17, 1900
- Died
- Jun 19, 1991 (age 90)
- Place of birth
- Plattsburgh, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Gladys Georgianna Greene
Biography
Jean Arthur (born Gladys Georgianna Greene; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an American actress celebrated as one of the defining screen personalities of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Known for her quick wit, expressive voice, and understated charm, she became one of the era’s most beloved comedic leading ladies, especially in the screwball comedy genre. Film historian James Harvey noted that “no one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur,” and her work remains central to the style’s legacy.
Arthur rose to prominence in the mid‑1930s and became best known for her collaborations with director Frank Capra, starring in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can’t Take It with You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). These films cemented her image as the relatable, spirited heroine of Depression‑era American cinema. She earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance in The More the Merrier (1943).
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Although she famously disliked the pressures of Hollywood and often retreated from public life, Arthur continued to work selectively after the 1940s. She delivered a memorable dramatic turn as Marian Starrett in George Stevens’ classic Western Shane (1953). She later returned to acting on television, appearing in a 1965 episode of Gunsmoke and starring in the 1966 sitcom The Jean Arthur Show.
After leaving acting, Arthur taught drama at Vassar College and the North Carolina School of the Arts, where students remembered her as a passionate and generous instructor. She lived a largely private life in her later years and died in 1991 at the age of 90.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
-
★ 7.8 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939 · Film
-
★ 7.3 Shane
1953 · Film
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★ 7.5 You Can't Take It with You
1938 · Film
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★ 7.5 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936 · Film
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★ 7.5 Seven Chances
1925 · Film
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★ 7.3 Only Angels Have Wings
1939 · Film
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★ 7.1 A Foreign Affair
1948 · Film
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★ 7.3 The Talk of the Town
1942 · Film
Jean Arthur: movies and TV shows
Acting (98)
- 1985 George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
as (archive footage)
- 1984 Going Hollywood: The '30s
as (archive footage)
- 1966
- 1955
- 1953 Yesterday and Today
as (archive footage)
- 1953 Shane
as Marian Starrett
- 1948 A Foreign Affair
as Congresswoman Phoebe Frost
- 1944 The Impatient Years
as Janie Anderson
- 1943 A Lady Takes a Chance
as Molly J. Truesdale
- 1943 The More the Merrier
as Constance Milligan
- 1942 The Talk of the Town
as Nora Shelley
- 1941 The Devil and Miss Jones
as Mary Jones
- 1940 Arizona
as Phoebe Titus
- 1940 Too Many Husbands
as Vicky Lowndes
- 1939 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
as Clarissa Saunders
- 1939 Only Angels Have Wings
as Bonnie Lee
- 1938 You Can't Take It with You
as Alice Sycamore
- 1938 Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
as Jean Arthur
- 1937 Easy Living
as Mary Smith
- 1937 History Is Made at Night
as Irene Vail
- 1936 More Than a Secretary
as Carol Baldwin
- 1936 The Plainsman
as Calamity Jane
- 1936 Adventure in Manhattan
as Claire Peyton
- 1936 The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
as Paula Bradford
- 1936 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
as Babe Bennett
- 1935 If You Could Only Cook
as Joan Hawthorne
- 1935 The Public Menace
as Cassie Nicholls
- 1935 Diamond Jim
as Jane Matthews / Emma
- 1935 Public Hero Number 1
as Maria Theresa 'Terry' O'Reilly
- 1935 Party Wire
as Marge Oliver
- 1935 The Whole Town's Talking
as Wilhelmina 'Bill' Clark
- 1934 The Defense Rests
as Joan Hayes
- 1934 Most Precious Thing in Life
as Ellen Holmes, aka Biddy, Babe
- 1934 Whirlpool
as Sandy
- 1933 Get That Venus
as Margaret Rendleby
- 1933 The Past of Mary Holmes
as Joan Hoyt
- 1931 Ex-Bad Boy
as Ethel Simmons
- 1931 The Lawyer's Secret
as Beatrice Stevens
- 1931 Virtuous Husband
as Barbara Olwell
- 1931 The Gang Buster
as Sylvia Martine
- 1931 Danger Lights
as Mary Ryan
- 1930 The Silver Horde
as Mildred Wayland
- 1930 The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
as Lia Eltham
- 1930 Paramount on Parade
as Dream Girl
- 1930 Young Eagles
as Mary Gordon
- 1930 Street of Chance
as Judith Marsden
- 1929 Half Way to Heaven
as Greta Nelson
- 1929 The Saturday Night Kid
as Janie Barry
- 1929 The Greene Murder Case
as Ada Greene
- 1929 The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
as Lia Eltham
- 1929 Stairs of Sand
as Ruth Hutt
- 1929 The Canary Murder Case
as Alice LaFosse
- 1928 Sins of the Fathers
as Mary Spengler
- 1928 Brotherly Love
as Mary
- 1928 Warming Up
as Mary Post
- 1928 Wallflowers
as Sandra
- 1927 Flying Luck
as The Girl
- 1927 The Masked Menace
as Faith Newton
- 1927 The Poor Nut
as Margie Blake
- 1927 Bigger and Better Blondes
as Ramona
- 1927 Horse Shoes
as Miss Baker
- 1927 The Broken Gate
as Ruth Hale
- 1927
- 1927 Winners of the Wilderness
as Bit Role (uncredited)
- 1927 Husband Hunters
as Lettie Crane
- 1926 The Block Signal
as Grace Ryan
- 1926 The College Boob
as Angela Boothby
- 1926 Twisted Triggers
as Ruth Regan
- 1926 The Cowboy Cop
as Virginia Selby
- 1926 Lightning Bill
as Marie Denton
- 1926 Double Daring
as Marie Wells
- 1926 Ridin' Rivals
as Ruth Burroghs
- 1926
- 1926
- 1926 The Fighting Cheat
as Ruth Wells
- 1926 Born to Battle
as Eunice Morgan
- 1926 The Roaring Rider
as Mary Watkins
- 1926 Under Fire
as Margaret Cranston
- 1925 Thundering Through
as Ruth Burroughs
- 1925 The Hurricane Horseman
as June Mathews
- 1925 The Iron Horse
as Reporter (uncredited)
- 1925 A Man of Nerve
as Loria Gatlin
- 1925 Tearin' Loose
as Sally Harris
- 1925 The Fighting Smile
as Rose Craddock
- 1925 The Drug Store Cowboy
as Jean
- 1925 Seven Chances
as Miss Smith the Country Club Receptionist (uncredited)
- 1924 Travelin' Fast
as Betty Conway
- 1924 Thundering Romance
as Mary Watkins
- 1924 Bringin' Home the Bacon
as Nancy Norton
- 1924 Wine of Youth
as Flapper
- 1924 Biff Bang Buddy
as Bonnie Norton
- 1924 Fast and Fearless
as Mary Brown
- 1924 The Powerful Eye
as Dud's Sweetheart
- 1924 Case Dismissed
as Jean
- 1923
- 1923 Monks a la mode
as Madame Maxine
- 1923
- 1923 Cameo Kirby
as Ann Playdell
Talk shows and appearances (9)
- 2017
- 2008
- 2001
- 1999
- 1998
- 1988
- 1961
- 1939
- 1936