Jean Arthur
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 · 90
Gunsmoke
1955 · Julie Blane
Shane
1953 · Marian Starrett
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939 · Clarissa Saunders
You Can't Take It with You
1938 · Alice Sycamore
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936 · Babe Bennett
Only Angels Have Wings
1939 · Bonnie Lee
The Jean Arthur Show
1966
A Foreign Affair
1948 · Congresswoman Phoebe F...
The More the Merrier
1943 · Constance Milligan
Brotherly Love
1928 · Mary
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
2001 · Self (archive footage)
Arizona
1940 · Phoebe Titus
Double Daring
1926 · Marie Wells
Seven Chances
1925 · Miss Smith the Country...
The Devil and Miss Jones
1941 · Mary Jones
Becoming Cary Grant
2017 · Self (archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984 · (archive footage)
The Talk of the Town
1942 · Nora Shelley
If You Could Only Cook
1935 · Joan Hawthorne
Virtuous Husband
1931 · Barbara Olwell
Easy Living
1937 · Mary Smith
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988 · Self (archive footage)
Ex-Bad Boy
1931 · Ethel Simmons
Hello Lafayette
1927
Warming Up
1928 · Mary Post
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
1929 · Lia Eltham
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
1999 · Self (from The Saturda...
Thundering Romance
1924 · Mary Watkins
History Is Made at Night
1937 · Irene Vail
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
1998 · Self (archive footage)
The Whole Town's Talking
1935 · Wilhelmina 'Bill' Clar...
Get That Venus
1933 · Margaret Rendleby
A Lady Takes a Chance
1943 · Molly J. Truesdale
The Plainsman
1936 · Calamity Jane
Paramount on Parade
1930 · Dream Girl
The Cowboy Cop
1926 · Virginia Selby
The Iron Horse
1925 · Reporter (uncredited)
Diamond Jim
1935 · Jane Matthews / Emma
Too Many Husbands
1940 · Vicky Lowndes
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
1936 · Paula Bradford
Public Hero Number 1
1935 · Maria Theresa 'Terry'...
More Than a Secretary
1936 · Carol Baldwin
The Defense Rests
1934 · Joan Hayes
The Canary Murder Case
1929 · Alice LaFosse
Whirlpool
1934 · Sandy
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
1985 · (archive footage)
The Impatient Years
1944 · Janie Anderson
Sins of the Fathers
1928 · Mary Spengler
Most Precious Thing in Life
1934 · Ellen Holmes, aka Bidd...
Bigger and Better Blondes
1927 · Ramona
The Fighting Smile
1925 · Rose Craddock
The Masked Menace
1927 · Faith Newton
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
1961 · Self - Actress 'Gone w...
The Drug Store Cowboy
1925 · Jean
The Silver Horde
1930 · Mildred Wayland
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
1936 · Self
The Lawyer's Secret
1931 · Beatrice Stevens
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
1930 · Lia Eltham
Horse Shoes
1927 · Miss Baker
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
1938 · Jean Arthur
A Man of Nerve
1925 · Loria Gatlin
Street of Chance
1930 · Judith Marsden
The Block Signal
1926 · Grace Ryan
Wine of Youth
1924 · Flapper
The Greene Murder Case
1929 · Ada Greene
Young Eagles
1930 · Mary Gordon
The Saturday Night Kid
1929 · Janie Barry
Adventure in Manhattan
1936 · Claire Peyton
Half Way to Heaven
1929 · Greta Nelson
The College Boob
1926 · Angela Boothby
The Past of Mary Holmes
1933 · Joan Hoyt
Yesterday and Today
1953 · (archive footage)
The Public Menace
1935 · Cassie Nicholls
Cameo Kirby
1923 · Ann Playdell
Danger Lights
1931 · Mary Ryan
Flying Luck
1927 · The Girl
The Gang Buster
1931 · Sylvia Martine
Fast and Fearless
1924 · Mary Brown
Winners Of The Wilderness
1927 · Bit Role (uncredited)
Party Wire
1935 · Marge Oliver
Bringin' Home the Bacon
1924 · Nancy Norton
Born to Battle
1926 · Eunice Morgan
Stairs of Sand
1929 · Ruth Hutt
The Broken Gate
1927 · Ruth Hale
Husband Hunters
1927 · Lettie Crane
Wallflowers
1928 · Sandra
Tearin' Loose
1925 · Sally Harris
Spring Fever
1923
Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It with You
2008 · Self (archive footage)
Biff Bang Buddy
1924 · Bonnie Norton