Jean Harlow
“The original platinum blonde, whose wit and glamour blazed through a tragically brief career.”
Jean Harlow shot to fame as the original platinum-blonde bombshell in Howard Hughes's 'Hell's Angels' (1930). Signing with MGM, she became one of the studio's biggest stars with hits like 'Red-Headed Woman' (1932). Became a star in 1930.
Kansas City Beginnings
Born Harlean Carpenter in Kansas City, she eloped young and drifted into film extra work in Hollywood. Howard Hughes cast her in 'Hell's Angels,' launching her almost overnight.
MGM's Bombshell
At MGM she blended sex appeal with sharp comic timing in pre-Code hits like 'Red-Headed Woman' and 'Red Dust.' She became one of the era's biggest and most imitated stars.
Tragic Early Death
Beloved on set and screen, Harlow's life was cut short at 26 by kidney failure. Her sudden death during 'Saratoga' shocked Hollywood and sealed her legend as a doomed icon.
Career Timeline
- 1911Born March 3 in Kansas City, Missouri
- 1928Begins work as a film extra in Hollywood
- 1930'Hell's Angels' makes her a sensation
- 1932Signs with MGM; stars in 'Red-Headed Woman'
- 1933Hit comedy 'Dinner at Eight' released
- 1933'Bombshell' satirizes her own star image
- 1935Top box-office star with 'China Seas'
- 1936Pairs again with Clark Gable in 'Wife vs. Secretary'
- 1937Falls ill during filming of 'Saratoga'
- 1937Dies June 7 of kidney failure, age 26
- 1937'Saratoga' completed and released posthumously
Biggest Hits
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The Moment You Remember
Lounging with a knowing smile, Harlow tosses off a wisecrack that lands sharper than any rival's, and audiences see a glamour girl who was always smarter than the screen let on.
Portrait: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons