Jean Arthur
Acting
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.
Known for
Acting106
movieBecoming Cary Grant
2017
Self (archive footage)
movieFrank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It with You
2008
Self (archive footage)
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
2001
Self (archive footage)
movieClara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
1999
Self (from The Saturday Night Kid [1929]) (archive footage)
movieGary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
1998
Self (archive footage)
movieThe Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988
Self (archive footage)
movieGoing Hollywood: The '30s
1984
(archive footage)
movieHollywood: The Selznick Years
1961
Self - Actress 'Gone with the Wind' screen test (archive footage) (uncredited)
tvGunsmoke
1955
Julie Blane
movieYesterday and Today
1953
(archive footage)
movieShane
1953
Marian Starrett
movieA Foreign Affair
1948
Congresswoman Phoebe Frost
movieThe Impatient Years
1944
Janie Anderson
movieA Lady Takes a Chance
1943
Molly J. Truesdale
movieThe More the Merrier
1943
Constance Milligan
movieThe Talk of the Town
1942
Nora Shelley
movieThe Devil and Miss Jones
1941
Mary Jones
movieArizona
1940
Phoebe Titus
movieToo Many Husbands
1940
Vicky Lowndes
movieMr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939
Clarissa Saunders
movieOnly Angels Have Wings
1939
Bonnie Lee
movieYou Can't Take It with You
1938
Alice Sycamore
movieScreen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
1938
Jean Arthur
movieEasy Living
1937
Mary Smith
movieHistory Is Made at Night
1937
Irene Vail
movieMore Than a Secretary
1936
Carol Baldwin
movieThe Plainsman
1936
Calamity Jane
movieAdventure in Manhattan
1936
Claire Peyton
movieThe Ex-Mrs. Bradford
1936
Paula Bradford
movieMr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936
Babe Bennett
movieIf You Could Only Cook
1935
Joan Hawthorne
movieThe Public Menace
1935
Cassie Nicholls
movieDiamond Jim
1935
Jane Matthews / Emma
moviePublic Hero Number 1
1935
Maria Theresa 'Terry' O'Reilly
movieParty Wire
1935
Marge Oliver
movieThe Whole Town's Talking
1935
Wilhelmina 'Bill' Clark
movieThe Defense Rests
1934
Joan Hayes
movieMost Precious Thing in Life
1934
Ellen Holmes, aka Biddy, Babe
movieWhirlpool
1934
Sandy
movieGet That Venus
1933
Margaret Rendleby
movieThe Past of Mary Holmes
1933
Joan Hoyt
movieEx-Bad Boy
1931
Ethel Simmons
movieThe Lawyer's Secret
1931
Beatrice Stevens
movieVirtuous Husband
1931
Barbara Olwell
movieThe Gang Buster
1931
Sylvia Martine
movieDanger Lights
1931
Mary Ryan
movieThe Silver Horde
1930
Mildred Wayland
movieThe Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
1930
Lia Eltham
movieParamount on Parade
1930
Dream Girl
movieYoung Eagles
1930
Mary Gordon
movieStreet of Chance
1930
Judith Marsden
movieHalf Way to Heaven
1929
Greta Nelson
movieThe Saturday Night Kid
1929
Janie Barry
movieThe Greene Murder Case
1929
Ada Greene
movieThe Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
1929
Lia Eltham
movieStairs of Sand
1929
Ruth Hutt
movieThe Canary Murder Case
1929
Alice LaFosse
movieSins of the Fathers
1928
Mary Spengler
movieWarming Up
1928
Mary Post
movieWallflowers
1928
Sandra
movieFlying Luck
1927
The Girl
movieThe Masked Menace
1927
Faith Newton
The Poor Nut
1927
Margie Blake
movieHorse Shoes
1927
Miss Baker
movieThe Broken Gate
1927
Ruth Hale
movieWinners Of The Wilderness
1927
Bit Role (uncredited)
movieHusband Hunters
1927
Lettie Crane
movieThe Block Signal
1926
Grace Ryan
movieThe College Boob
1926
Angela Boothby
movieThe Cowboy Cop
1926
Virginia Selby
Lightning Bill
1926
Marie Denton
movieDouble Daring
1926
Marie Wells
Ridin' Rivals
1926
Ruth Burroghs
movieBorn to Battle
1926
Eunice Morgan
The Roaring Rider
1926
Mary Watkins
Under Fire
1926
Margaret Cranston
Thundering Through
1925
Ruth Burroughs
movieThe Iron Horse
1925
Reporter (uncredited)
movieA Man of Nerve
1925
Loria Gatlin
movieTearin' Loose
1925
Sally Harris
movieThe Fighting Smile
1925
Rose Craddock
movieSeven Chances
1925
Miss Smith the Country Club Receptionist (uncredited)
Travelin' Fast
1924
Betty Conway
movieThundering Romance
1924
Mary Watkins
movieBringin' Home the Bacon
1924
Nancy Norton
movieWine of Youth
1924
Flapper
movieFast and Fearless
1924
Mary Brown
movieBiff Bang Buddy
1924
Bonnie Norton
The Powerful Eye
1924
Dud's Sweetheart
Monks a la mode
1923
Madame Maxine
movieCameo Kirby
1923
Ann Playdell