Facts

Real Name:Gladys Georgianna Greene

Birthdate: October 17,1900

Birthplace:Plattsburgh, New York

Deathdate: June 19,1991

Deathplace:Carmel, California

Cause Of Death: Heart Failure

Husbands: Julian Ancker (1928 - 1928) (divorced) Frank Ross (I) (1932 - 1949) (divorced)

Height:5' 3"

Ashes scattered off of Point Lobos, California, USA.

Wore her natural brunette hair color throughout the silent film portion of her career, then began bleaching her hair blonde shortly after she started making talkies.

Department of Strange Coincidences: Jean Arthur's former spouse, the producer Frank Ross (I) next married the actress Joan Caulfield. On the very day following Caulfield's death on 18 June 1991 Arthur died.

Marriage to Julian Anker was annulled after 1 day

After retiring from films she taught Drama at Vassar.

Was a leading contender for the coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939).

As her star began to decline, she was replaced by Rita Hayworth as Columbia Pictures' top female star. Coincidentally, the two stars share the same birthday (October 17).

A revealing biography of Arthur entitled 'The Actress Nobody Knew' was published in 1997 and uncovers many of the well hidden facts of her life and career.

Turned down the role of the lady missionary in Lost Horizon (1973), the unsuccessful musical remake of the 1937 classic of the same name.

Director George Stevens famously called her "One of the greatest comediennes the screen has ever seen" while Frank Capra credited her as "My favorite actress."

On the completion of her Columbia contract in 1944, she reportedly ran through the studio's streets shouting "I'm free, I'm free!".

As a result of being in the doghouse with studio boss Harry Cohn, her fee for starring in 'The Talk of the Town' was only $50,000 while her male co-stars (Ronald Colman, Cary Grant) received upwards of $100,000 each.                                                                           

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