Jean Arthur Silent film actress Date of Birth: 17.10.1905 Country: USA

Biography of Jean Arthur

Jean Arthur, born Gladys Georgianna Green on October 17, 1905, was an American actress. She began her career in the film industry in 1923, playing minor roles in silent films. However, with the advent of sound, her unique and husky voice, which critic Derek Owen called "the sexiest in the history of sound cinema," became an important advantage and brought Arthur her first success.

Arthur, the daughter of a photographer, dropped out of school at the age of 15 to become a model and later pursued acting. She often became nervous before shooting her scenes and would cry after hearing her voice on screen, even though she portrayed independent, strong, yet somewhat quirky and unconventional heroines.

She is best known for her roles in Frank Capra's films "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936), "You Can't Take It with You" (1938), and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939). Capra referred to Arthur as his favorite actress, while George Stevens considered her one of the greatest comedic actresses to ever grace the screen. She also starred in Stevens' comedies "The Talk of the Town" (1942) and "The More the Merrier" (1943, Oscar nomination), as well as the western "Shane" (1953), which was her final film.

Some of her other notable films include Howard Hawks' drama "Only Angels Have Wings" (1939) and Sam Wood's comedy "The Devil and Miss Jones" (1941). Arthur left the film industry due to a conflict with the management of Columbia Pictures. She later appeared on television, taught drama in several colleges, and occasionally performed in theater.