Acting
Jean Arthur
EN, ES cinema · 105 credits
Born
17 October 1900
Died
19 June 1991 (aged 90)
Birthplace
Plattsburgh, New York, USA
Also known as Gladys Georgianna Greene
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
Filmography
Becoming Cary Grant
as Self (archive footage)
Frank Capra Jr. Remembers... You Can't Take It with You
as Self (archive footage)
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
as Self (archive footage)
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
as Self (from The Saturday Night Kid [1929]) (archive footage)
Gary Cooper: The Face of a Hero
as Self (archive footage)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
as Self (archive footage)
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
as (archive footage)
Going Hollywood: The '30s
as (archive footage)
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
as Self - Actress 'Gone with the Wind' screen test (archive footage) (uncredited)
Shane
as Marian Starrett
Yesterday and Today
as (archive footage)
A Foreign Affair
as Congresswoman Phoebe Frost
The Impatient Years
as Janie Anderson
A Lady Takes a Chance
as Molly J. Truesdale
The More the Merrier
as Constance Milligan
The Talk of the Town
as Nora Shelley
The Devil and Miss Jones
as Mary Jones
Arizona
as Phoebe Titus
Too Many Husbands
as Vicky Lowndes
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
as Clarissa Saunders
Only Angels Have Wings
as Bonnie Lee
You Can't Take It with You
as Alice Sycamore
Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 12
as Jean Arthur
History Is Made at Night
as Irene Vail
Easy Living
as Mary Smith
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
as Babe Bennett
The Plainsman
as Calamity Jane
The Ex-Mrs. Bradford
as Paula Bradford
Adventure in Manhattan
as Claire Peyton
More Than a Secretary
as Carol Baldwin
Public Hero Number 1
as Maria Theresa 'Terry' O'Reilly
The Whole Town's Talking
as Wilhelmina 'Bill' Clark
If You Could Only Cook
as Joan Hawthorne
Party Wire
as Marge Oliver
The Public Menace
as Cassie Nicholls
Diamond Jim
as Jane Matthews / Emma
Most Precious Thing in Life
as Ellen Holmes, aka Biddy, Babe
The Defense Rests
as Joan Hayes
Whirlpool
as Sandy
The Past of Mary Holmes
as Joan Hoyt
Get That Venus
as Margaret Rendleby
Danger Lights
as Mary Ryan
The Lawyer's Secret
as Beatrice Stevens
Ex-Bad Boy
as Ethel Simmons
The Gang Buster
as Sylvia Martine
Virtuous Husband
as Barbara Olwell
The Silver Horde
as Mildred Wayland
Street of Chance
as Judith Marsden
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu
as Lia Eltham
Young Eagles
as Mary Gordon
Paramount on Parade
as Dream Girl
The Canary Murder Case
as Alice LaFosse
The Greene Murder Case
as Ada Greene
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
as Lia Eltham
The Saturday Night Kid
as Janie Barry
Half Way to Heaven
as Greta Nelson
Stairs of Sand
as Ruth Hutt
Brotherly Love
as Mary
Warming Up
as Mary Post
Wallflowers
as Sandra
Sins of the Fathers
as Mary Spengler
Flying Luck
as The Girl
The Poor Nut
1927
The Poor Nut
as Margie Blake
Winners of the Wilderness
as Bit Role (uncredited)
Horse Shoes
as Miss Baker
The Broken Gate
as Ruth Hale
Husband Hunters
as Lettie Crane
The Masked Menace
as Faith Newton
The Block Signal
as Grace Ryan
The Cowboy Cop
as Virginia Selby
Ridin' Rivals
1926
Ridin' Rivals
as Ruth Burroghs
Born to Battle
as Eunice Morgan
Lightning Bill
1926
Lightning Bill
as Marie Denton
The Fighting Cheat
1926
The Fighting Cheat
as Ruth Wells
Double Daring
as Marie Wells
Twisted Triggers
1926
Twisted Triggers
as Ruth Regan
The Roaring Rider
1926
The Roaring Rider
as Mary Watkins
Under Fire
1926
Under Fire
as Margaret Cranston
The College Boob
as Angela Boothby
The Iron Horse
as Reporter (uncredited)
Seven Chances
as Miss Smith the Country Club Receptionist (uncredited)
Tearin' Loose
as Sally Harris
The Fighting Smile
as Rose Craddock
Thundering Through
1925
Thundering Through
as Ruth Burroughs
The Hurricane Horseman
1925
The Hurricane Horseman
as June Mathews
A Man of Nerve
as Loria Gatlin
Wine of Youth
as Flapper
Bringin' Home the Bacon
as Nancy Norton
Fast and Fearless
as Mary Brown
Travelin' Fast
1924
Travelin' Fast
as Betty Conway
The Powerful Eye
1924
The Powerful Eye
as Dud's Sweetheart
Thundering Romance
as Mary Watkins
Biff Bang Buddy
as Bonnie Norton
Cameo Kirby
as Ann Playdell
Monks a la mode
1923
Monks a la mode
as Madame Maxine