ACTOR · BORN 1900 · DIED 1991
Jean Arthur
- Born
- 17 October 1900, Plattsburgh, New York, USA
- Died
- 19 June 1991
- Known for
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), You Can't Take It with You (1938), A Foreign Affair (1948)
33 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Jean Arthur (17 October 1900 – 19 June 1991) was an actor best known for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, You Can't Take It with You and A Foreign Affair.
33 Interesting Facts About Jean Arthur
Interesting Facts (19)
- #001
Although Jean Arthur and James Stewart never formed a bond off screen, Jimmy called Jean "the finest actress I ever worked with. No one had her humor, her timing."
- #002
Director George Stevens called her "one of the greatest comediennes the screen has ever seen," Frank Capra described her as "my favorite actress," and Billy Wilder called her performance for him in A Foreign Affair (1948) "simply wonderful."
- #003
Despite her confident screen persona, Arthur suffered from chronic stage fright and social anxiety. She hated interviews, refused to do publicity, and often vomited in her dressing room between takes. Frank Capra said, "When you push that neurotic girl forcibly but gently… she will magically turn into a warm, lovable, poised and self-confident actress in front of the camera."
- #004
Meryl Streep was studying there while Arthur was teaching at Vassar during Streep's junior year. Watching the young drama star rehearse August Strindberg's play "Miss Julie," Arthur remarked that it was "just like watching a movie star."
- #005
She turned down the role played by Donna Reed in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) because she did not want to work with James Stewart again.
- #006
Arthur was cold and hostile toward Rita Hayworth when they worked together on Only Angels Have Wings (1939); Arthur later said she regretted it.
- #007
In 1944, after completing her Columbia contract, she was reported to have run through the studio's streets shouting "I'm free, I'm free!"
- #008
In 1972 she attended a small symposium held on the afternoon of Saturday, February 5, at the invitation of Frank Capra, during the Yale Law School Film Society weekend with Capra. He encouraged her to stay for that night's screening and assured her the audience would be very pleased and extremely enthusiastic. She declined, saying she had to go home and feed her cats.
- #009
After she left Hollywood in 1944, Rita Hayworth took her place as Columbia's top female star. Coincidentally, the two stars shared the same birthday (October 17).
- #010
In 1936 Jean Arthur earned $119,000, far more than the President of the United States or baseball legend Lou Gehrig.
- #011
The two roles Jean Arthur always longed to play were Joan of Arc and Peter Pan. After leaving Columbia, she played both on stage.
- #012
Like other well-known actresses, notably Claudette Colbert, Jean Arthur was most often photographed from her left side; cinematographers determined it was her most flattering angle. A glance at Arizona (1940) or The Lady Takes a Chance (1943) is enough to confirm this. Frank Capra, who had already dealt with a similar issue with Colbert while making It Happened One Night (1934), had the procedure down by the time he made Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) with Arthur, and rarely gave audiences a close look at her "evil" side when the situation called for it.
- #013
In 1973, while living in North Carolina, Jean Arthur made front-page news when she was arrested and jailed for trespassing on a neighbor's property to comfort a dog she believed was being mistreated. A lifelong animal lover, Arthur said she trusted animals more than people. She was convicted, fined $75 and sentenced to three years' probation.
- #014
Jean Arthur turned down the role of the missionary woman in Lost Horizon (1973), the failed musical remake of the 1937 classic of the same name.
- #015
Jean Arthur underwent analysis with the psychologist and philosopher Erich Fromm for a year and a half.
- #016
Like Greta Garbo, Jean Arthur was known for disliking publicity in Hollywood; she guarded her privacy closely and rarely gave autographs or interviews.
- #017
From the late 1930s until 1944, Arthur was Columbia Pictures' top star. She had a famously difficult working relationship with studio president Harry Cohn, who cut her salary on a number of productions. When Arthur left the studio in 1944, Rita Hayworth took over as its top star, and Cohn began casting Hayworth in higher-profile roles than she had been used to.
- #018
In 1931, at the end of her three-year contract, Arthur was fired by Paramount Pictures. Studio representatives reportedly told her they were not actually unhappy with her previous performances or her work ethic, and that Paramount was cutting staff because of financial troubles.
- #019
Arthur reportedly dyed her hair blonde because she was tired of being perceived as and cast like Mary Brian. The two actresses also had the same natural hair color, and Arthur wanted to step out of Brian's shadow.
Behind the Scenes (4)
- #020
Although Jean and James Stewart never bonded off-screen, Jimmy called Jean "the finest actress I ever worked with. No one had her humor, her timing."
- #021
Although she came to Hollywood at 22, Arthur did not achieve success in films until more than a decade later. In the mid-thirties she appeared in a series of moderately successful films at Columbia, culminating in the hit Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), released when she was 36. Arthur said her early career was mainly about "playing colorless, vapid ingenues."
- #022
Arthur often intervened when she saw animals being harmed on set. On both Arizona (1940) and Shane (1953) she arranged veterinary care for sick animals.
- #023
In 1931, at the end of her three-year contract, Arthur was fired by Paramount Pictures. Studio representatives reportedly told her they were not actually unhappy with her previous performances or her work ethic, but that Paramount was downsizing its staff due to financial troubles.
Characters & Cast (3)
- #024
As a result of staying in the doghouse with studio boss Harry Cohn, Jean Arthur was paid only $50,000 for her starring role in The Talk of the Town (1942), while each of her male co-stars (Ronald Colman, Cary Grant) received more than $100,000.
- #025
Jean Arthur was one of the leading candidates for the coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939).
- #026
Arthur was cast in the female lead of the fantasy film "The Temple of Venus" (1923), but was fired and replaced shortly afterward for her perceived lack of talent and experience. Feeling she had failed, Arthur planned to leave the California film industry altogether. Studio executive Lester F. Scott, Jr. still saw potential in her and cast her in more than 20 B-Westerns over a two-year period. Arthur was never well paid during this time, but she was also never out of work, which helped her land better roles at other studios.
Career & Awards (2)
- #027
After her first (and only) Oscar nomination, she left cinema in 1944 at the peak of her career, still Columbia Pictures' highest-grossing female draw. She appeared in only two more films, both for Oscar-winning directors: Billy Wilder (A Foreign Affair (1948)) and George Stevens (Shane (1953)).
- #028
In the early part of her career she kept her natural dark hair color, and around 1930 she began dyeing her hair blonde to distinguish herself from Paramount star Mary Brian, whom she was said to resemble.
Life & Family (5)
- #029
She is said to have taken her stage name from her two greatest heroes: Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) and King Arthur.
- #030
Jean Arthur's first marriage, to photographer Julian Ancker, was annulled after one day.
- #031
Many biographies have noted the contrast between Jean Arthur's stage persona and her private life. On stage and in film she generally played clever, tough girls. In private life she was known to be reclusive, secretive and extremely insecure.
- #032
Jean Arthur was honored when her films were shown on TCM's "Summer Under the Stars" month on August 2, 2022.
- #033
Jean Arthur's real name was Gladys Georgianna Greene. She was reportedly descended from Nathaniel Greene, one of the founders of the small town of St. Albans, Vermont.
Related pages
- Martha Scott — Jean Arthur comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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