Actor

Jean Arthur

Acting

Career Snapshot

Explained

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Acting credits

Prolific

Very extensive acting filmography.

TMDB popularity

0.6

Low visibility

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Movies: 85Series: 2

TMDB ID: 30210

IMDb ID: nm0000795

Known for: Acting

Born: October 17, 1900

Died: June 19, 1991

Age: 90

Place of birth: Plattsburgh, New York, USA

Gender: Female

Adult content flag: No

Career span: 1923 - 2017

Years active: 95

Average TMDB rating: 6.87

Wikidata: Q229338

Also known as

Gladys Georgianna Greene

TMDB TMDB IMDb IMDb W Wikidata

Biography

Jean Arthur was an American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. She remains arguably the epitome of the female screwball comedy actress. As James Harvey wrote in his recounting of the era, "No one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur. So much was she part of it, so much was her star personality defined by it, that the screwball style itself seems almost unimaginable without her." Arthur has been called "the quintessential comedic leading lady." Arthur is best known for her feature roles in three Frank Capra films: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It With You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), films that championed the everyday heroine. Her last performance was the memorable—and distinctly non–comedic—role as the rancher's wife in George Stevens' Shane (1953). Arthur was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1944 for her performance in The More the Merrier (1943).