Comments (0)

RECENT CREDITS
Shane (FILM)  Apr. 1, 1953
A Foreign Affair (FILM)  Jan. 1, 1948
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (FILM)  Jan. 1, 1939
Only Angels Have Wings (FILM)  Jan. 1, 1939

BIOGRAPHY
After a brief time on the New York stage, Jean Arthur made her feature film debut in John Ford's "Cameo Kirby" (1923) and appeared as an ingenue in numerous low-budget silent westerns and comedy shorts. Arthur's smooth....
After a brief time on the New York stage, Jean Arthur made her feature film debut in John Ford's "Cameo Kirby" (1923) and appeared as an ingenue in numerous low-budget silent westerns and comedy shorts. Arthur's smooth transition to sound was aided by her nasal voice, sometimes sexy, other times squeaky, and she won immense popularity in John Ford's "The Whole Town's Talking" (1935). A deft comedienne and prickly, sometimes tomboyish heroine, she hit her peak post-1935 playing a string of down-to-earth, independent types, often working women, and costarring in three celebrated Frank Capra films: "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), "You Can't Take It with You" (1938) and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939).

With her increased prestige, Arthur chose her later roles wisely, her last decade of work including Billy Wilder's superior romantic comedy "A Foreign Affair" (1948) and the George Stevens classics "The Talk of the Town" (1942), "The More the Merrier" (1943) and "Shane" (1953). The latter was her final film, made after a five year absence from the screen. Her acting work from the 1950s on was intermittent, somewhat curtailed by Arthur's longstanding shyness and discomfort about her chosen profession. She did occasional stage work (such as a charming turn as "Peter Pan"), a try at a TV series (the short-lived "The Jean Arthur Show" 1966), and much time teaching acting at the university level.




Comments



Advertisement

Recently Worked With...

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
Released: Apr. 12, 1985

Shane
Released: Apr. 1, 1953

A Foreign Affair
Released: Jan. 1, 1948

Only Angels Have Wings
Released: Jan. 1, 1939

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Released: Jan. 1, 1939


Fan Sites

Jean Arthur Fansites

No fan sites available. Create the first!
Are you the #1 Jean Arthur Fan? Sign Up To Create A Website Here.

Top 5 Celebrities

Michael Jackson
August 29, 1958
Gary, Indiana, United States

Robert Pattinson on the set of 'Remember Me' - New York City, NY - 06/15/09
May 13, 1986
London, England, United Kingdom

Angelina Jolie at the Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) 2009 - Arrivals.  London, England - 02/08/09
June 04, 1975
Los Angeles, California, United States

Wylie Draper photos from the miniseries 'The Jacksons: An American Dream'
January 01, 1900

Kristen Stewart at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards - Arrivals held at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA - 05/31/09
April 09, 1990
Los Angeles, California, United States