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Jean Arthur

Jean Arthur

Actor · 1900 – 1991 · 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 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.

Movies24

  • Movie7.3

    Shane

    1953 · 707 votes

  • Movie7.8
  • Movie7.5
  • Movie7.3

    Only Angels Have Wings

    1939 · 287 votes

  • Movie7.5

    Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

    1936 · 416 votes

  • Movie7.0

    The More the Merrier

    1943 · 99 votes

  • Movie7.3

    The Talk of the Town

    1942 · 133 votes

  • Movie6.5

    The Plainsman

    1936 · 42 votes

  • Movie7.1

    A Foreign Affair

    1948 · 164 votes

  • Movie7.5

    Seven Chances

    1925 · 341 votes

  • Movie7.2

    Easy Living

    1937 · 71 votes

  • Movie6.9

    The Whole Town's Talking

    1935 · 64 votes

  • Movie7.6

    The Devil and Miss Jones

    1941 · 66 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Becoming Cary Grant

    2017 · 45 votes

  • Movie8.0

    Virtuous Husband

    1931 · 1 votes

  • Movie6.7

    History Is Made at Night

    1937 · 55 votes

  • Movie9.0
  • Movie7.4

    If You Could Only Cook

    1935 · 22 votes

  • Movie4.4
  • Movie6.8

    The Iron Horse

    1925 · 81 votes

  • Movie6.2

    The Ex-Mrs. Bradford

    1936 · 32 votes

  • Movie8.0

    Brotherly Love

    1928 · 1 votes

  • Movie10.0

    Double Daring

    1926 · 1 votes

  • Movie8.3

Series2

  • TV6.7

    Gunsmoke

    1955 · 119 votes

  • TV7.5

    The Jean Arthur Show

    1966 · 2 votes