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.
104 acting credits
Acting · 104
Gunsmoke
1955
Shane
1953
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939
You Can't Take It with You
1938
Only Angels Have Wings
1939
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936
Seven Chances
1925
A Foreign Affair
1948
The Talk of the Town
1942
The Devil and Miss Jones
1941
The Jean Arthur Show
1966
Arizona
1940
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988
Going Hollywood: The '30s
1984
The More the Merrier
1943
History Is Made at Night
1937
The Whole Town's Talking
1935
Easy Living
1937
The Iron Horse
1925
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
1936
The Plainsman
1936
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
1999
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
1936
Diamond Jim
1935
The Defense Rests
1934
The Past of Mary Holmes
1933
The Canary Murder Case
1929
Cameo Kirby
1923
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
1998
If You Could Only Cook
1935
Becoming Cary Grant
2017
Whirlpool
1934
A Lady Takes a Chance
1943
Virtuous Husband
1931
The Greene Murder Case
1929
Case Dismissed
1924
Public Hero Number 1
1935
Party Wire
1935
Brotherly Love
1928
Too Many Husbands
1940
Thundering Romance
1924
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
1929
Danger Lights
1931
Adventure in Manhattan
1936
Born to Battle
1926
Under Fire
1926
Most Precious Thing in Life
1934
The Saturday Night Kid
1929
Flying Luck
1927
Yesterday and Today
1953
Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 1
1939
The Lawyer's Secret
1931
Street of Chance
1930
Warming Up
1928
The Silver Horde
1930
Young Eagles
1930
Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It with You
2008
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
1938
More Than a Secretary
1936
The Impatient Years
1944
Twisted Triggers
1926
The Gang Buster
1931
Travelin' Fast
1924
The Drug Store Cowboy
1925
Bringin' Home the Bacon
1924
Double Daring
1926
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
1930
Sins of the Fathers
1928
Winners Of The Wilderness
1927
Paramount on Parade
1930
The Masked Menace
1927
Lightning Bill
1926
Stairs of Sand
1929
Eight-Cylinder Bull
1926
The Roaring Rider
1926
Tearin' Loose
1925
Bigger and Better Blondes
1927
Monks a la mode
1923
Wallflowers
1928
Husband Hunters
1927
Wine of Youth
1924
Get That Venus
1933
Spring Fever
1923
Ex-Bad Boy
1931
Ridin' Rivals
1926
The Broken Gate
1927
Fast and Fearless
1924
Half Way to Heaven
1929
The College Boob
1926
The Poor Nut
1927
The Cowboy Cop
1926
The Public Menace
1935
Horse Shoes
1927
Thundering Through
1925
Somebody Lied
1923
The Mad Racer
1926
A Man of Nerve
1925
The Fighting Smile
1925
The Block Signal
1926
The Hurricane Horseman
1925
Hello Lafayette
1927
Biff Bang Buddy
1924
The Fighting Cheat
1926
The Powerful Eye
1924