Arthur, Jean (1900–1991)

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Arthur, Jean (1900–1991)

American actress. Born Gladys Georgianna Greene, Oct 17, 1900, in Plattsburg, NY; died June 19, 1991, in Carmel, California; dau. of a NY photographer; m. Julian Anker, 1928 (annulled 1928); m. Frank J. Ross Jr., 1932 (div. 1949).

Made film debut in a supporting role in John Ford's silent Cameo Kirby (1923), then made one forgettable movie after another, mostly for Paramount; dissatisfied with roles, returned to NY (1931) to hone acting skills; played leads in shortrun stage productions: Foreign Affairs, The Man Who Reclaimed His Head and The Curtain Rises (1931–34); in Hollywood, reunited with Ford for breakthrough part in The Whole Town's Talking (1935); starred in 3 Frank Capra classics: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and You Can't Take It With You (1938); also appeared in Public Hero Number One (1935), Diamond Jim (1935), The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936), The Devil and Miss Jones (1941), and The Talk of the Town (1942); when contract expired (1944), walked away from Columbia; made only 2 more films: A Foreign Affair for Billy Wilder (1948), followed by her masterful swan song in Shane (1953); scored a major success on Broadway in Peter Pan (1955) and had a short-lived tv series "The Jean Arthur Show" (1966). Won an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for The More the Merrier (1943).

See also Women in World History.