Jean Arthur was a rare commodity—an actress who shunned the limelight. She was reputed to be more reclusive than Greta Garbo, and she is often overlooked in descriptions of the Golden Age of Hollywood. … See more

Arthur was born Gladys Georgianna Greene in upstate New York on October 17, 1900. She had three older brothers. … See more

Arthur also improved her chances of stardom by spending two years away from Hollywood. In 1932, she started working on Broadway in order to improve her acting skills. She played comedy and drama equally well… See more

Arthur's career waned during the second half of the 1940s. After starring with Marlene Dietrich and John Lund in Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair in 1948, she made only one more film. Her last film was Shane (1953), dire… See more