Jean Arthur

Acting October 17, 1900 (90 years old) June 19, 1991 Plattsburgh, New York, USA

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). 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.

Jean Arthur

Biography

Movies 105

Shane

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

You Can't Take It with You

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Only Angels Have Wings

The Talk of the Town

The More the Merrier

Seven Chances

The Devil and Miss Jones

Hollywood: The Selznick Years

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

History Is Made at Night

The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu

A Foreign Affair

The Ex-Mrs. Bradford

If You Could Only Cook

The Plainsman

The Whole Town's Talking

A Lady Takes a Chance

The Iron Horse

The Canary Murder Case

Arizona

Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero

The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu

Easy Living

Diamond Jim

Too Many Husbands

Thundering Romance

Going Hollywood: The '30s

Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl

Paramount on Parade

Street of Chance

Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel

Somebody Lied

The Drug Store Cowboy

Case Dismissed

Double Daring

The Saturday Night Kid

Public Hero Number 1

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

Thundering Through

Horse Shoes

More Than a Secretary

The Past of Mary Holmes

Most Precious Thing in Life

Bigger and Better Blondes

Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)

Virtuous Husband

The Block Signal

Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 1

The Lawyer's Secret

The Greene Murder Case

Winners of the Wilderness

Becoming Cary Grant

Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12

Hello Lafayette

Cameo Kirby

Adventure in Manhattan

The Mad Racer

Flying Luck

Young Eagles

The Impatient Years

The Fighting Smile

Bringin' Home the Bacon

Fast and Fearless

Sins of the Fathers

Whirlpool

Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It with You

Wine of Youth

Get That Venus

The Defense Rests

Travelin' Fast

Half Way to Heaven

Monks a la mode

Yesterday and Today

Brotherly Love

Party Wire