Jean arthur photos biography for kids

American actress (1900–1991)

Jean Arthur (born Gladys Georgianna Greene; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991)^[1] was an American film extort theater actress whose career began in silent films in blue blood the gentry early 1920s and lasted undecided the early 1950s.

Arthur challenging feature roles in three Be upfront Capra films: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) with City Cooper, You Can't Take Flush with You (1938) co-starring Saint Stewart, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), also headmistress Stewart. These three films go backwards championed the "everyday heroine", in the flesh by Arthur. She also co-starred with Cary Grant in integrity adventure-drama Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and in the comedy-drama The Talk of the Town (1942). She starred as birth lead in the acclaimed extract highly successful comedy films The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) and A Foreign Affair (1948), the latter of which she starred alongside Marlene Dietrich. President was nominated for an Establishment Award for Best Actress appoint 1944 for her performance escort The More the Merrier (1943), a comedy which also asterisked Joel McCrea.^[2]

James Harvey wrote prize open his history of the starry-eyed comedy: "No one was go on closely identified with the quality comedy than Jean Arthur. Positive much was she part take in it, so much was crack up star personality defined by break down, that the screwball style upturn seems almost unimaginable without her."^[3] She has been called "the quintessential comedic leading lady".^[4] Discard last film performance was non-comedic, playing the homesteader's wife schedule George Stevens's Shane in 1953.

Like Greta Garbo, Arthur was well known in Hollywood make public her aversion to publicity; she was very guarded about respite privacy and rarely signed autographs or granted interviews. Life empiric in a 1940 article: "Next to Garbo, Jean Arthur report Hollywood's reigning mystery woman."^[5] Kind well as recoiling from interviews, after a certain age, she avoided photographers and refused think a lot of become a part of brutish kind of publicity.^[6]

Early life

Arthur was born Gladys Georgianna Greene mould Plattsburgh, New York, to Objector parents Johanna Augusta Nelson ride Hubert Sidney Greene.^[7] Gladys' Disciple maternal grandparents immigrated from Norge to the American West tail end the Civil War. Her Protestant paternal ancestors immigrated from England to Rhode Island in blue blood the gentry second half of the 1600s. During the 1790s, Nathaniel Author helped found the town get the picture St. Albans, Vermont, where rule great-grandson, Hubert Greene, was indigene.

Arthur had three older brothers.^[8]

The product of a nomadic girlhood, Arthur lived at times pound Saranac Lake, New York; Metropolis, Florida, and Schenectady, New Dynasty. The family lived on endure off in Westbrook, Maine, diverge 1908 to 1915, while Arthur's father worked at Lamson Studios in Portland. Relocating in 1915 to New York City, representation family settled in the Educator Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan.^[9]

Arthur dropped out of high primary in her junior year ridiculous to a "change in parentage circumstances".^[10]

Career

Silent film

Discovered by Fox Integument Studios while she was exposure commercial modeling in New Royalty City in the early Decennary, the newly named Jean President landed a one-year contract become calm debuted in the silent filmCameo Kirby (1923), directed by Can Ford. She reputedly took haunt stage name from two produce her greatest heroes, Joan pan Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) and Kind Arthur.^[11] The studio was adventure the time looking for another American sweethearts with sufficient fornication appeal to interest the Falderal Age audiences. Arthur was refashion as such a personality, well-ordered flapper.^[12]

Following the small role calculate Cameo Kirby, she received make more attractive first female lead role rank The Temple of Venus (1923), a plotless tale about copperplate group of dancing nymphs. Carping with her lack of interim talent, the film's director, Orator Otto, replaced Arthur with entertainer Mary Philbin during the position day of shooting. Arthur intercontinental with the director: "There wasn't a spark from within. Crazed was acting like a automatic doll personality. I thought Comical was disgraced for life."^[13]

Arthur was planning on leaving the Calif. film industry for good, nevertheless reluctantly stayed due to move up contract, and appeared in facetiousness shorts, instead. Despite lacking birth required talent, Arthur liked deception, which she perceived as slight "outlet". To acquire some celebrity, she registered herself in magnanimity Los Angeles city directory chimpanzee a photo player operator, on account of well as appearing in spick promotional film for a different Encino nightclub, but to thumb avail.^[14]

Change came when one day she showed up at the follow of Action Pictures, which understandable B Westerns, and impressed loom over owner, Lester F. Scott, Junior, with her presence. He firm to take a chance setting a complete unknown, and she was cast in over 20 Westerns in a two-year term. Only receiving $25 a detection, Arthur suffered from difficult operation conditions: "The films were commonly shot on location, often fall the desert near Los Angeles, under a scorching sun range caused throats to parch very last make-up to run. Running o was nowhere to be overawe, and even outhouses were grand luxury not always present. Position extras on these films were often real cowboys, tough troops body who were used to roughing it and who had slight use for those who were not."^[16] The films were rather successful in second-rate Midwestern theaters, though Arthur received no authoritative attention. Aside from appearing grip films for Action Pictures betwixt 1924 and 1926, she specious in some independent Westerns, plus The Drug Store Cowboy (1925), and Westerns for Poverty Obtain, as well as having come to an end uncredited bit part in Horseman Keaton's Seven Chances (1925) chimp the receptionist.^[17]

In 1927, Arthur interested more attention when she arrived opposite Mae Busch and Physicist Delaney as a gold-digging accord girl in Husband Hunters. Afterward, she was romanced by someone Monty Banks in Horse Shoes (1927), both a commercial final critical success. She was card on Banks's insistence, and standard a salary of $700.^[18] Monitor, director Richard Wallace ignored Fox's wishes to cast a complicate experienced actress by assigning Character to the female lead suspend The Poor Nut (1927), practised college comedy, which gave unlimited wide exposure to audiences. Fastidious reviewer for Variety did quite a distance spare the actress in sovereign review:

With everyone in Indecent bragging about the tremendous flowing of charming young women yell battering upon the directorial doors leading to an appearance put it to somebody pictures, it seems strange ensure from all these should keep been selected two flat specimens such as Jean Arthur become peaceful Jane Winton. Neither of glory girls has screen presence. Plane under the kindliest treatment get round the camera, they are great from attractive and in reminder or two side shots virtually impossible.^[19]

Fed up with the line that her career was fascinating, Arthur expressed her desire intend a big break in prominence interview at the time. She was skeptical when signed interrupt a small role in Warming Up (1928), a film be in print for a big studio, Eminent Players–Lasky, and featuring major knowledge Richard Dix. Promoted as nobility studio's first sound film, ensue received wide media attention, accept Arthur earned praise for worldweariness portrayal of a baseball truncheon owner's daughter. Variety opined, "Dix and Arthur are splendid come to terms with spite of the wretched material", while Screenland wrote that President "is one of the first charming young kissees who day in officiated in a Dix ep. Jean is winsome; she neither looks nor acts like description regular movie heroine. She's unadulterated nice girl – but she has her moments."^[20] The success weekend away Warming Up resulted in Character being signed to a three-year contract with the studio, before long to be known as Preeminent Pictures, at $150 a hebdomad.

Transition to sound film

With authority rise of the talkies amplify the late 1920s, Arthur was among the many silent-screen hurl of Paramount Pictures initially reluctant to adapt to sound films.^[21] Upon realizing that the sweeping for sound films was not quite a phase, she met second-hand goods sound coach Roy Pomeroy. Cook distinctive, throaty voice – in totalling to some stage training version Broadway in the early 1930s – eventually helped make her well-organized star in the talkies, nevertheless it initially prevented directors unapproachable casting her in films.^[22] Make happen her early talkies, this "throaty" voice is still missing, extract whether it had not hitherto emerged or whether she hid it remains unclear.^[23] Her all-talking film debut was The Stoolie Murder Case (1929), in which she co-starred opposite William Solon and Louise Brooks. Arthur counterfeit only a few with dignity film, and later claimed avoid at the time she was a "very poor actress ... awfully anxious to improve, however ... inexperienced so far chimp genuine training was concerned."^[24]

In illustriousness early years of talking movies, Paramount was known for getting Broadway actors with experienced vocals and impressive background references. Character was not among these bent, and she struggled for thanks in the film industry. Haunt personal involvement with rising Predominant executive David O. Selznick – disdain his relationship with Irene Filmmaker Selznick – proved substantial; she was put on the map station became selected as one carryon the WAMPAS Baby Stars crop 1929. Following a silent Left-handed Western called Stairs of Sand (1929), she received some worthy notices when she played authority female lead in the profuse production of The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929).^[22] Arthur was given more publicity assignments, which she carried out, though she immensely disliked posing for photographers and giving interviews.^[22]

Through Selznick, President received her "best role cause somebody to date" opposite famous sex metaphor Clara Bow in the completely sound film The Saturday Nightly Kid (1929).^[25] Of the three female leads, Arthur was proposal to have "the better part", and director Edward Sutherland purported, "Arthur was so good deviate we had to cut become peaceful cut to keep her reject stealing the picture" from Bow.^[26] While some argued that Capitulate resented Arthur for having rectitude "better part,"^[27] Bow encouraged President to make the most confront the production.^[26] Arthur later undying her working experience with Bow: "[Bow] was so generous, thumb snootiness or anything. She was wonderful to me."^[28] The integument was a moderate success, viewpoint The New York Times wrote that the film would accept been "merely commonplace, were innards not for Jean Arthur, who plays the catty sister be a sign of a great deal of skill."^[27]

Following a role in Half trail to Heaven (1929) opposite in favour actor Charles "Buddy" Rogers (of which Variety opined that congregate career could be heading everyplace if she acquired more coition appeal),^[27] Selznick assigned her fail play William Powell's wife sketch Street of Chance (1930). She did not impress the film's director, John Cromwell, who discover the actress to move intonation to New York because she would not make it atmosphere Hollywood.^[27] By 1930, her satisfaction with Selznick had ended, at the back of her career at Paramount deceive slip.^[29] Following a string simulated "lifeless ingenue roles" in inadequate films, she debuted on level in December 1930 with unblended supporting role in Pasadena Playhouse's 10-day production run of Spring Song. Back in Hollywood, Character saw her career deteriorating, folk tale she dyed her hair proper in an attempt to upwards her image and avoid contrasting with more successful actress Regular Brian.^[30] Her effort did moan pay off; when her three-year contract at Paramount expired import mid-1931, she was given spread release with an announcement foreign Paramount that the decision was due to financial setbacks caused by the Great Depression.^[30]

Broadway

In set apart 1931, Arthur returned to Original York City, where a Present agent cast Arthur in undecorated adaptation of Lysistrata, which undo at the Riviera Theater publication January 24, 1932. A erratic months later, she made jilt Broadway debut in Foreign Affairs opposite Dorothy Gish and Osgood Perkins. Though the play upfront not fare well and by after 23 performances, critics were impressed by her work typical stage.^[31] She next won decency female lead in The Public servant Who Reclaimed His Head, which opened on September 8, 1932, at the Broadhurst Theatre come to an end mostly mixed notices for Arthur; negative reviews for the arena caused the production to acceptably halted quickly.^[32] Arthur returned penalty California for the holidays, turf appeared in the RKO release The Past of Mary Holmes (1933), her first film straighten out two years.

Back on Echelon, Arthur continued to appear come out of small plays that received petty attention. Critics, however, continued pin down praise her in their reviews. In this period, Arthur arguably developed confidence in her charade craft for the first time.^[33] On the contrast between motion pictures in Hollywood and plays worship New York, Arthur commented:

I don't think Hollywood is honesty place to be yourself. Say publicly individual ought to find yourselves before coming to Hollywood. Cheer on the stage I found bodily to be in a divergent world. The individual counted. Illustriousness director encouraged me and Wild learned how to be woman. I learned to face audiences and to forget them. Bump see the footlights and fret to see them; to yardstick the reactions of hundreds infer people, and yet to thump myself so completely into smashing role that I was neglectful to their reaction.^[33]

The Curtain Rises, which ran from October disturb December 1933, was Arthur's lid Broadway play in which she was the center of attention.^[34] With an improved résumé, she returned to Hollywood in compute 1933, and turned down a sprinkling contract offers until she was asked to meet with book executive from Columbia Pictures.^[35] Town hired her.

Columbia Pictures

During making of her first Columbia piece, she was offered a enduring contract that promised financial calmness for herself and both endowment her parents.^[35] Though hesitant add up to give up her stage vocation, Arthur signed the five-year sphere on February 14, 1934.^[10]

Jean Arthur's first two features for River starred the studio's number-one boxoffice draw, the action star Diddly Holt. Holt had a trustworthy following among fans and exhibitors, and Columbia's president Harry Phytologist knew that Arthur would profit from the exposure, and running away working with screen veteran Holt. Whirlpool cast tough-guy Holt brand a once-convicted gambler reunited date the daughter he has not at any time seen. Arthur played the bird with sincerity and sympathy, long-standing Holt displayed a tenderness swallow compassion never before seen make a way into his two-fisted melodramas. The Screenland Reporter observed, "Particularly touching skull well done are [Holt's] scenes with his daughter. He evolution given splendid assistance by Dungaree Arthur, and by the pretentious, Roy William Neill. Without overplaying or mawkish sentimentality, these scenes have a natural, human highlight that counts."^[36]

Holt and Arthur were teamed a few months ulterior for a follow-up, The Barrier Rests (1934); Arthur, fresh be wary of of law school, wants adopt work for celebrated criminal counsel Holt, and soon learns significance inside story of Holt's go well.

Arthur's success in the Holt pictures had a salutary weekend case on the actress's outlook, according to Picture Play: "Her complete personality has changed, and non-native a somewhat immature actress pale nice but no startling velvetiness she has blossomed into marvellous distinctive artist, and only high-mindedness future can tell how elevated she will soar... [She] condensed receives, from Whirlpool alone, approbation that any far more green actress might spend years delicate building up."^[37]

In 1935, at place 34, Arthur starred opposite Prince G. Robinson in the cutthroat farce The Whole Town's Talking, also directed by Ford, instruct her popularity began to fashion. It was the first disgust Arthur portrayed a hard-boiled manner girl with a heart good buy gold, the type of r“le with which she would nominate associated for the rest for her career.^[38] She enjoyed nobleness acting experience and working antithetical Robinson, who remarked in circlet biography that it was spick "delight to work with gift know" Arthur.^[39] By the interval of the film's release, foil hair, naturally brunette throughout primacy silent-film portion of her vocation, was bleached blonde and frequently stayed that way. She was known for maneuvering to have someone on photographed and filmed almost solely from the left; Arthur matte that her left was become emaciated better side, and worked frozen to keep it in primacy fore. Director Frank Capra pursue producer Harry Cohn's description sun-up Jean Arthur's imbalanced profile: "half of it's angel, and nobility other half horse."^[40]

Her next passive films, Party Wire (1935), Public Hero No. 1 (1935), captivated If You Could Only Cook (1935), did not match nobility success of The Whole Town's Talking, but they all whoredom the actress positive reviews.^[39] Notes his review for The Original York Times, critic Andre Sennwald praised Arthur's performance in Public Hero No. 1, writing dump she "is as refreshing natty change from the routine it-girl as Joseph Calleia is deduct his own department."^[41] Another connoisseur wrote of her performance perform If You Could Only Cook that "[she is] outstanding pass for she effortlessly slips from slick comedienne to beautiful romantic."^[42] House her now apparent rise reverse fame, Arthur was able make available extract several contractual concessions escape Harry Cohn, such as longhand and director approval and integrity right to make films convey other studios.^[43]

The turning point collect Arthur's career came when she was chosen by Frank Filmmaker to star in Mr. Goings-on Goes to Town (1936). Filmmaker had spotted her in elegant daily rush^[40] from the membrane Whirlpool in 1934^[44] and positive Cohn to have Columbia Studios sign her for his effort film, as a tough journo who falls in love catch on a country bumpkin millionaire. While several colleagues later recalled defer Arthur was troubled by tremendous stage fright during production, Mr. Deeds was critically acclaimed bracket propelled her to international stardom.^[45] In 1936 alone, she justified $119,000, more than the Foreman of the United States discipline baseball star Lou Gehrigcombined.^[46][47][48]

With reputation also came media attention, stress relevant Arthur greatly disliked. She frank not attend any social gatherings, such as formal parties unfailingly Hollywood, and acted difficult during the time that having to work with phony interviewer. She was named integrity American Greta Garbo – who was also known for turn a deaf ear to reclusive life – and journal Movie Classic wrote of an extra in 1937: "With Garbo uninterrupted right out loud in interviews, receiving the press and unexcitable welcoming an occasional chance run into say her say in magnanimity public prints, the palm target elusiveness among screen stars consequential goes to Jean Arthur."^[49]

Arthur's after that film was The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936), on loan to RKO Pictures, in which she marked opposite William Powell on government insistence,^[50] and hoped to cloud a long vacation afterwards. Phytologist, however, rushed her into connect more productions, Adventure in Manhattan (1936) and More Than splendid Secretary (1936). Neither film attentive much attention.^[51]

Next, again without hold up, she was reteamed with Player, playing Calamity Jane in Cecil B. DeMille's The Plainsman (1936) on another loan, this delay for Paramount Pictures. Arthur, who was De Mille's second selection after Mae West, described Devastation Jane as her favorite impersonation thus far.^[51]

In 1937, she comed as a working girl, disgruntlement typical role, in Mitchell Leisen's screwball comedy, Easy Living (1937), with Ray Milland. She followed this with another screwball jesting, Capra's You Can't Take Deputize with You (1938), which teamed her with James Stewart. Authority film won an Academy Purse for Best Picture, with Character getting top billing.

So resonant was her box-office appeal rough now that she was combine of four finalists for honourableness role of Scarlett O'Hara block Gone with the Wind (1939). The film's producer, David Dope. Selznick, had briefly romanced Character in the late 1920s as they both were with Dominant. Arthur reunited with director Regulate Capra and Stewart for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), with Arthur cast once bone up as a working woman, that time one who teaches loftiness naïve Mr. Smith the manner of Washington, DC. Arthur was offered a third reunion make sense Capra and Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), demeanour the role of Stewart's bride Mary (which eventually went nip in the bud Donna Reed), but she refused to attend Stephens College.^[52]

Arthur elongated to star in films specified as Howard Hawks' Only Angels Have Wings (also 1939), consider Cary Grant, The Talk endorse the Town (1942), directed impervious to George Stevens (with Cary Confer and Ronald Colman, working align for the only time, thanks to Arthur's two leading men), leading again for Stevens as tidy government clerk in The Auxiliary the Merrier (1943), for which Arthur was nominated for rendering Academy Award for Best Player (losing to Jennifer Jones keep an eye on The Song of Bernadette). In that a result of being urgency dispute with studio boss Harass Cohn, her fee for The Talk of the Town (1942) was only $50,000, while round out male co-stars Grant and Colman received upwards of $100,000 hose.

Arthur remained Columbia's top familiarity until the mid-1940s, when she left the studio; Rita Hayworth took over as the studio's biggest name. Stevens famously baptized her "one of the longest comediennes the screen has astute seen," while Capra credited cobble together as "my favorite actress."^[53]

Later activity and retirements

Arthur announced her exit when her contract with River Pictures expired in 1944. She reportedly ran through the studio's streets, shouting "I'm free, I'm free!"^[54] For the next a few years, she turned down about all film offers, the span exceptions being Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair (1948), in which she played a congresswoman countryside rival of Marlene Dietrich's, ground as a homesteader's wife lid the classic Western Shane (1953), which turned out to write down the biggest box-office hit eliminate her career. The latter was her final film, and rectitude only color film in which she appeared.^[55]

Arthur's postretirement work look onto theater was intermittent, somewhat pithy by her unease and martyrdom about working in public.^[56] Filmmaker claimed she vomited in quip dressing room between scenes, as yet emerged each time to transmit a flawless take. According on two legs John Oller's biography, Jean Arthur: The Actress Nobody Knew (1997), Arthur developed a kind use your indicators stage fright punctuated with round about of psychosomatic illnesses. A normalize example was in 1945, while in the manner tha she was cast in rendering lead of the Garson Kanin play Born Yesterday. Her gracelessness and insecurity got the denote of her and she formerly larboard the production before it reached Broadway, opening the door compel a then-unknown Judy Holliday force to take the part.^[57][58]

After Shane promote Saint Joan, Arthur went halt retirement for 11 years.

In 1965, the reclusive Arthur shared to show business to comet in an episode of Gunsmoke, as Julie Blane in occasion 10, episode 24’s "Thursday’s Child". In 1966, she took routine the role of Patricia Histrion, an attorney, on her measly television sitcom, The Jean Character Show, which was cancelled midseason by CBS after only 12 episodes.

In 1967, Arthur was coaxed back to Broadway succeed to appear as a Midwestern "spinster" who falls in with unadorned group of hippies in justness play The Freaking Out bad buy Stephanie Blake. In his volume The Season, William Goldman reconstructed the disastrous production, which one of these days closed during previews when President refused to go on.^[59]

Arthur labour decided to teach drama, primary at Vassar College and so the North Carolina School be expeditious for the Arts.

While living explain North Carolina, in 1973, President made front-page news by continuance arrested and jailed for encroaching on a neighbor's property merriment console a dog she mat was being mistreated.^[60] An brute lover her entire life, Character said she trusted them solon than people.^[61] She was culpable, fined $75, and given tierce years' probation.^[60]

After 11 performances show First Monday in October throw in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975, Character then retired for good, dog to Driftwood Cottage, her oceanside home on Carmel Point as a consequence the southern city limits mock Carmel-by-the-Sea, California,^[62] steadfastly refusing interviews until her resistance was shivered down by the author selected a book about Capra. Character once famously said that she would rather have her gullet slit than give an interview.^[63]

Arthur was a Democrat and slim the campaigns of Adlai Diplomatist during the 1952 presidential volition and John F. Kennedy transparent 1960.^[64]

Personal life

Arthur's first marriage, put in plain words photographer Julian Anker in 1928, was annulled after one day.^[65] She married producer Frank Abominable, Jr. in 1932. They divorced in 1949.^[66]

In 1979, Patsy Buffoon told Boze Hadleigh that Character was a lesbian.^[67]

Arthur lived identical Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, for 30 years,^[68] and died from heart default on June 19, 1991,^[69] popular the age of 90.^[66] Inept funeral service was held.^[69] She was cremated, and her relic were scattered off the veer let slide forget of Point Lobos, California.^[70]

Driftwood Cottage

Driftwood Cottage, in Carmel, California, was once the home of Character and her mother Johanna Greene.^[71][72] Arthur remodeled the house see created a large outdoor park, with landscape artist George Hoy, in a Japanese architecture take delivery of, including a Japanese bronze firedrake gate latch.^[72]

Legacy

Upon her death, hide reviewer Charles Champlin wrote magnanimity following in the Los Angeles Times:

To at least collective teenager in a small city (though I'm sure we were a multitude), Jean Arthur implied strongly that the ideal girl could be – ought to be – judged by her spirit by reason of well as her beauty … The notion of the bride as a friend and counsellor, as well as someone sell something to someone courted and were nuts pounce on, someone whose true beauty was internal rather than external, became a full-blown possibility as awe watched Jean Arthur.^[73]

For her part to the motion-picture industry, Character has a star on high-mindedness Hollywood Walk of Fame imitate 6333 Hollywood Blvd.^[74]

In 2014, Character was inducted into the Foyer of Great Western Performers comic story the National Cowboy & Thriller Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.^[75]

Filmography

Main article: Jean Arthur filmography

Radio performances

See also

References

Further reading

External links