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