Jean Arthur

Acting · Born 1900-10-17 in Plattsburgh, New York, USA

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…

Filmography

• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as Clarissa Saunders
• Shane as Marian Starrett
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town as Babe Bennett
• You Can't Take It with You as Alice Sycamore
• Only Angels Have Wings as Bonnie Lee
• Seven Chances as Miss Smith the Country Club Receptionist (uncredited)
• The Talk of the Town as Nora Shelley
• History Is Made at Night as Irene Vail
• Public Hero Number 1 as Maria Theresa 'Terry' O'Reilly
• Arizona as Phoebe Titus

TV

• Gunsmoke as Julie Blane
• The Jean Arthur Show