Jean Harlow
Known for: Acting
Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the pre-Code era of American cinema. Often nicknamed the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde", Harlow was popular for her "Laughing Vamp" screen persona. Though her screen persona changed dramatically during her career, one constant was her sense of humor. She was given superior movie roles to show off her looks and nascent comedic talent. Harlow was in the film industry for only nine years, but she became one of the biggest stars in the US, whose image in the public eye has endured. Harlow was consistently voted one of the strongest box office draws in the United States from 1933 onward, often surpassing that of MGM's top leading ladies, such as Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. Her movies also continued to make huge profits at the box office even during the middle of the Depression. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Harlow No. 22 on its greatest female screen legends of classical Hollywood cinema list.
Filmography
Series
Intimate Portrait
Self
1993
Series
MGM Parade
Self
1955
Film
Scarface
Blonde at Paradise Club
1932
Film
The Public Enemy
Gwen Allen
1931
Film
That's Entertainment! III
(archive footage)
1994
Film
Hell's Angels
Helen
1930
Film
Libeled Lady
Gladys
1936
Film
Dinner at Eight
Kitty Packard
1933
Film
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage) (uncredited)
1974
Film
Red Dust
Vantine Jefferson
1932
Film
Beau Hunks
Jeanie Weenie - in Photo
1931
Film
Wife vs. Secretary
Helen 'Whitey' Wilson
1936
Film
That's Entertainment, Part II
(archive footage)
1976
Film
China Seas
Dolly 'China Doll' Portland
1935
Film
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1983
Film
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
1975
Film
Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
2003
Film
Bacon Grabbers
Mrs. Kennedy
1929
Film
Saratoga
Carol Clayton
1937
Film
The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
Self (archive footage)
1996
Film
Platinum Blonde
Ann Schuyler
1931
Film
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Self (archive footage)
1987
Film
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
(archive footage) (uncredited)
1988
Film
Red-Headed Woman
Lillian 'Lil' / 'Red' Andrews Legendre
1932
Film
Death In Hollywood
1990
Film
Chasing Husbands
Bathing Beauty (uncredited)
1928
Film
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Self (archive footage)
1972
Film
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend
archive footage
1986
Film
The Love Parade
Woman in Opera Box (uncredited)
1929
Film
Becoming Marilyn
(archive footage)
2022
Film
Goldie
Goldie
1931
Film
The Casting Couch
1995
Film
The Girl from Missouri
Eadie
1934
Film
Hold Your Man
Ruby Adams
1933
Film
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
Self - Actress 'Dinner at Eight' (archive footage) (uncredited)
1961
Film
Double Whoopee
Swanky blonde
1929
Film
The Big Parade of Comedy
Ruby in 'Hold Your Man' (archive footage)
1964
Film
The Beast of the City
Daisy Stevens aka Mildred Beaumont
1932
Film
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
Self (archive footage)
2006
Film
Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies
Self (archive footage)
2000
Film
Jay Sebring… Cutting to the Truth
Self(archive footage)
2020
Film
Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons
Self (archive footage)
1995
Film
Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
Various Roles (archive footage)
2008
Film
Why Be Good?
Blonde on Rooftop Bench at Junior's Second Party
1929
Film
The Golden Age of Comedy
archive footage
1957
Film
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
Self (archive footage)
1942
Film
Bombshell
Lola Burns
1933
Film
Judy Garland: By Myself
Self (archive footage)
2004
Legends in Light: The Photography of George Hurrell
Self (archive footage)
1995
Film
Clara Bow: Discovering the "It" Girl
Self (from The Saturday Night Kid [1929]) (archive footage)
1999
Film
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Self (archive footage)
2007
Film
The Secret Six
Anne Courtland
1931
Film
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
1984
Film
Honor Bound
Extra
1928
Film
Iron Man
Rose Mason
1931
Film
Discovering Jean Harlow
Self (archive footage)
2015
Film
Sports on the Silver Screen
Self (archive footage)
1997
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
Self (archive footage)
2004
Film
Reckless
Mona Leslie
1935
Film
Marilyn Monroe
archive footage
1986
Film
Suzy
Suzy
1936
Film
Liberty
Woman in cab (as Harlean Carpenter)
1929
Film
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
Self (archive footage)
1986
Two Tragic Blondes - Marilyn Monroe And Jean Harlow
Self (archive footage)
1989
Film
The Saturday Night Kid
Hazel
1929
Film
Three Wise Girls
Cassie Barnes
1932
Film
Personal Property
Crystal Wetherby
1937
Film
Beyond Tara: The Extraordinary Life of Hattie McDaniel
Self (archive footage)
2001
Film
Riffraff
Hattie
1936
Film
The Love Story of Jean Harlow and William Powell
Self (archive footage)
2023
Film
New York Nights
Party Guest
1929
Film
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
Self (archive footage)
2005
Film
Masquerade
Spectator
1929
Film
Close Harmony
Chorus Girl
1929
Film
Fugitives
Extra (uncredited)
1929
Film
Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary
Self (archive footage)
1945
Film
Death Scenes
Self (archive footage)
1989
Film
Why Is a Plumber?
1929
Film
Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell
Self (archive footage)
1996
Film
Moran of the Marines
Extra (uncredited)
1928
Film
The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy
1967
Film
The Unkissed Man
Patient
1929
Film
This Thing Called Love
Extra
1929
Film
Hollywood on Parade No. A-12
Self
1933
Film
Voice of Hollywood (Series 2, No. 3)
Self
1931
Film
Weak But Willing
Blonde Night Club Patron
1929
Film
Thundering Toupees
1929