Jean Arthur

Person

Jean Arthur

Acting October 17, 1900

Plattsburgh, New York, USA

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…

IMDb

Known for

Popular titles

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

7.8 1939 Movie
Shane

Shane

7.3 1953 Movie
You Can't Take It with You

You Can't Take It with You

7.5 1938 Movie
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

7.5 1936 Movie
Gunsmoke

Gunsmoke

6.7 1955 TV Show
Seven Chances

Seven Chances

7.5 1925 Movie
Only Angels Have Wings

Only Angels Have Wings

7.3 1939 Movie
A Foreign Affair

A Foreign Affair

7.1 1948 Movie
The Talk of the Town

The Talk of the Town

7.3 1942 Movie
The More the Merrier

The More the Merrier

7.0 1943 Movie
The Iron Horse

The Iron Horse

6.8 1925 Movie
Easy Living

Easy Living

7.2 1937 Movie

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Biography

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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.

Filmography

Movies and shows, newest first

  1. 2017
    Becoming Cary Grant

    Movie Self (archive footage)

  2. 2008
    Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It with You

    Movie Self (archive footage)

  3. 2001
    Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel

    Movie Self (archive footage)

  4. 1999
    Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl

    Movie Self (from The Saturday Night Kid [1929]) (archive footage)

  5. 1998
    Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero

    Movie Self (archive footage)

  6. 1988
    The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

    Movie Self (archive footage)

  7. 1985
    George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey

    Movie (archive footage)

  8. 1984
    Going Hollywood: The '30s

    Movie (archive footage)

  9. 1966
    The Jean Arthur Show

    TV show

  10. 1961
    Hollywood: The Selznick Years

    Movie Self - Actress 'Gone with the Wind' screen test (archive footage) (uncredited)

  11. 1955
    Gunsmoke

    TV show Julie Blane

  12. 1953
    Yesterday and Today

    Movie (archive footage)

  13. 1953
    Shane

    Movie Marian Starrett

  14. 1948
    A Foreign Affair

    Movie Congresswoman Phoebe Frost

  15. 1944
    The Impatient Years

    Movie Janie Anderson

  16. 1943
    A Lady Takes a Chance

    Movie Molly J. Truesdale

More credits
  1. 1943
    The More the Merrier

    Movie Constance Milligan

  2. 1942
    The Talk of the Town

    Movie Nora Shelley

  3. 1941
    The Devil and Miss Jones

    Movie Mary Jones

  4. 1940
    Arizona

    Movie Phoebe Titus

  5. 1940
    Too Many Husbands

    Movie Vicky Lowndes

  6. 1939
    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

    Movie Clarissa Saunders

  7. 1939
    Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 1

    Movie Self

  8. 1939
    Only Angels Have Wings

    Movie Bonnie Lee

  9. 1938
    You Can't Take It with You

    Movie Alice Sycamore

  10. 1938
    Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12

    Movie Jean Arthur

  11. 1937
    Easy Living

    Movie Mary Smith

  12. 1937
    History Is Made at Night

    Movie Irene Vail

  13. 1936
    More Than a Secretary

    Movie Carol Baldwin

  14. 1936
    The Plainsman

    Movie Calamity Jane

  15. 1936
    Adventure in Manhattan

    Movie Claire Peyton

  16. 1936
    Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)

    Movie Self

  17. 1936
    The Ex-Mrs. Bradford

    Movie Paula Bradford

  18. 1936
    Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

    Movie Babe Bennett

  19. 1935
    If You Could Only Cook

    Movie Joan Hawthorne

  20. 1935
    The Public Menace

    Movie Cassie Nicholls

  21. 1935
    Diamond Jim

    Movie Jane Matthews / Emma

  22. 1935
    Public Hero Number 1

    Movie Maria Theresa 'Terry' O'Reilly

  23. 1935
    Party Wire

    Movie Marge Oliver

  24. 1935
    The Whole Town's Talking

    Movie Wilhelmina 'Bill' Clark