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.
TV Shows(2)
Movies(102)
Becoming Cary Grant
Self (archive footage)
2017
Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It with You
Self (archive footage)
2008
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
Self (from The Saturday Night Kid [1929]) (archive footage)
1999
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
Self (archive footage)
1998
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
Self (archive footage)
1988
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
1984
Yesterday and Today
(archive footage)
1953
Shane
Marian Starrett
1953
A Foreign Affair
Congresswoman Phoebe Frost
1948
The Impatient Years
Janie Anderson
1944
A Lady Takes a Chance
Molly J. Truesdale
1943
The More the Merrier
Constance Milligan
1943
The Talk of the Town
Nora Shelley
1942
The Devil and Miss Jones
Mary Jones
1941
Arizona
Phoebe Titus
1940
Too Many Husbands
Vicky Lowndes
1940
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Clarissa Saunders
1939
Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 1
Self
1939
Only Angels Have Wings
Bonnie Lee
1939
You Can't Take It with You
Alice Sycamore
1938
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
Jean Arthur
1938
Easy Living
Mary Smith
1937
History Is Made at Night
Irene Vail
1937
More Than a Secretary
Carol Baldwin
1936
The Plainsman
Calamity Jane
1936
Adventure in Manhattan
Claire Peyton
1936
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Self
1936
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
Paula Bradford
1936
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Babe Bennett
1936
If You Could Only Cook
Joan Hawthorne
1935
The Public Menace
Cassie Nicholls
1935
Diamond Jim
Jane Matthews / Emma
1935
Public Hero Number 1
Maria Theresa 'Terry' O'Reilly
1935
Party Wire
Marge Oliver
1935
The Whole Town's Talking
Wilhelmina 'Bill' Clark
1935
The Defense Rests
Joan Hayes
1934
Most Precious Thing in Life
Ellen Holmes, aka Biddy, Babe
1934
Whirlpool
Sandy
1934
Get That Venus
Margaret Rendleby
1933
The Past of Mary Holmes
Joan Hoyt
1933
Ex-Bad Boy
Ethel Simmons
1931
The Lawyer's Secret
Beatrice Stevens
1931
Virtuous Husband
Barbara Olwell
1931
The Gang Buster
Sylvia Martine
1931
Danger Lights
Mary Ryan
1931
The Silver Horde
Mildred Wayland
1930
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
Lia Eltham
1930
Paramount on Parade
Dream Girl
1930
Young Eagles
Mary Gordon
1930
Street of Chance
Judith Marsden
1930
Half Way to Heaven
Greta Nelson
1929
The Saturday Night Kid
Janie Barry
1929
The Greene Murder Case
Ada Greene
1929
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
Lia Eltham
1929
Stairs of Sand
Ruth Hutt
1929
The Canary Murder Case
Alice LaFosse
1929
Sins of the Fathers
Mary Spengler
1928
Brotherly Love
Mary
1928
Warming Up
Mary Post
1928
Wallflowers
Sandra
1928
Flying Luck
The Girl
1927
The Masked Menace
Faith Newton
1927
The Poor Nut
Margie Blake
1927
Bigger and Better Blondes
Ramona
1927
Horse Shoes
Miss Baker
1927
The Broken Gate
Ruth Hale
1927
Hello Lafayette
1927
Winners Of The Wilderness
Bit Role (uncredited)
1927
Husband Hunters
Lettie Crane
1927
The Block Signal
Grace Ryan
1926
The College Boob
Angela Boothby
1926
Twisted Triggers
Ruth Regan
1926
The Cowboy Cop
Virginia Selby
1926
Lightning Bill
Marie Denton
1926
Double Daring
Marie Wells
1926
Ridin' Rivals
Ruth Burroghs
1926
The Mad Racer
1926
Eight-Cylinder Bull
1926
The Fighting Cheat
Ruth Wells
1926
Born to Battle
Eunice Morgan
1926
The Roaring Rider
Mary Watkins
1926
Under Fire
Margaret Cranston
1926
Thundering Through
Ruth Burroughs
1925
The Hurricane Horseman
June Mathews
1925
The Iron Horse
Reporter (uncredited)
1925
A Man of Nerve
Loria Gatlin
1925
Tearin' Loose
Sally Harris
1925
The Fighting Smile
Rose Craddock
1925
The Drug Store Cowboy
Jean
1925
Seven Chances
Miss Smith the Country Club Receptionist (uncredited)
1925
Travelin' Fast
Betty Conway
1924
Thundering Romance
Mary Watkins
1924
Bringin' Home the Bacon
Nancy Norton
1924
Wine of Youth
Flapper
1924
Fast and Fearless
Mary Brown
1924
Biff Bang Buddy
Bonnie Norton
1924
The Powerful Eye
Dud's Sweetheart
1924
Case Dismissed
Jean
1924
Spring Fever
1923
Monks a la mode
Madame Maxine
1923
Somebody Lied
1923
Cameo Kirby
Ann Playdell
1923