Actress. She appeared in nearly 100 films from the Silent Era of the 1920s to her final film, the 1953 classic "Shane," in which she starred with Alan Ladd and Van Heflin. Until her start in Talkies, she kept her hair brunette, but shortly after the era of sound came to movies, she began bleaching her hair blonde. As a longtime contract player with Columbia Pictures, she was well-known as a comedienne and acted opposite of some very big names, such as Alan Ladd, Van Heflin, Edward G. Robinson, Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Cary Grant and Marlene Dietrich. In 1943, she starred with Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn in the film "The More the Merrier," for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She was also a top contender for the part of Scarlett O'Hara in the epic "Gone With the Wind," which was eventually played by Vivien Leigh. Her film career basically ended after "The Jean Arthur Show" which only ran for a few weeks in 1966. She did attempt a part in a CBS law drama in the 1970s, but walked out and went on to live a somewhat reclusive life. In her personal life, she was married to Frank Ross from 1932-1949. She was also married to Julian Ancker in 1928, only to have the marriage annulled after only 1 day.
Actress. She appeared in nearly 100 films from the Silent Era of the 1920s to her final film, the 1953 classic "Shane," in which she starred with Alan Ladd and Van Heflin. Until her start in Talkies, she kept her hair brunette, but shortly after the era of sound came to movies, she began bleaching her hair blonde. As a longtime contract player with Columbia Pictures, she was well-known as a comedienne and acted opposite of some very big names, such as Alan Ladd, Van Heflin, Edward G. Robinson, Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Cary Grant and Marlene Dietrich. In 1943, she starred with Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn in the film "The More the Merrier," for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She was also a top contender for the part of Scarlett O'Hara in the epic "Gone With the Wind," which was eventually played by Vivien Leigh. Her film career basically ended after "The Jean Arthur Show" which only ran for a few weeks in 1966. She did attempt a part in a CBS law drama in the 1970s, but walked out and went on to live a somewhat reclusive life. In her personal life, she was married to Frank Ross from 1932-1949. She was also married to Julian Ancker in 1928, only to have the marriage annulled after only 1 day.
Bio by: Paul Duncan
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