Jean Harlow (1911 - 1937)

American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s

* March 3, 1911 Kansas City, Missouri
 as Harlean Harlow Carpenter
 June 7, 1937 Los Angeles, California



Jean Harlow was an American actress who was active in Hollywood during the 1930s. She was known for her platinum blonde hair, bold screen presence, and for her roles in films such as "Red Dust," "Bombshell," and "Dinner at Eight." Harlow was one of the first actresses to be referred to as a "blonde bombshell" and was a major Hollywood sex symbol during the 1930s. Harlow was one of the most popular actresses of her time, and her career was cut short when she died of kidney failure at the age of 26.

Vintage magazines

Photoplay, December 1931
Photoplay, August 1932
Photoplay, April 1930

Photoplay, May 1930
Photoplay, November 1930
Photoplay, January 1931

Photoplay, January 1931
Photoplay, April 1931
Photoplay, May 1931


Books on Jean Harlow

Jessica Hope Jordan The sex goddess in American film, 1930-1965 Jessica Hope Jordan
The sex goddess in American film, 1930-1965, Jean Harlow, Mae West, Lana Turner, and Jayne Mansfield
Amherst, NY, 2010

David Stenn
Bombshell, The life and death of Jean Harlow
New York, 1993

Eve Golden Platinum Girl Eve Golden
Platinum Girl, The Life and Legends of Jean Harlow
New York - London - Paris, 1991

Samuel Marx and Joyce Vanderveen Deadly Illusions Samuel Marx and Joyce Vanderveen
Deadly Illusions, Jean Harlow and the Murder of Paul Bern
New York, 1990

Curtis F. Brown Jean Harlow Curtis F. Brown
Jean Harlow, Ihre Filme - ihr Leben
München, 1979

Curtis F. Brown
Jean Harlow
New York, 1977

Joe Morella & Edward Z. Epstein Gable & Lombard & Powell & Harlow Joe Morella & Edward Z. Epstein
Gable & Lombard & Powell & Harlow
London, 1976

Michael Conway and Mark Ricci (eds.)
The films of Jean Harlow
New York, 1965

John Pascal
The Jean Harlow story
New York, [1964]

Irving Shulman Harlow Irving Shulman
Harlow, An intimate biography
1964

Dentner Davies
Jean Harlow, Hollywood comet
London, [1937]

Books with substantial mentioning of Jean Harlow

Adrienne L. McLean (ed.)
Glamour in a golden age, Movie stars of the 1930s
New Brunswick, N.J., 2011

E.J. Fleming
Paul Bern, The life and famous death of the MGM director and husband of Harlow
Jefferson, N.C., 2009

Michelle Vogel & Liz Nocera Hollywood Blondes Michelle Vogel & Liz Nocera
Hollywood Blondes, Golden Girls of the Silver Screen
2007

 Leading Ladies
Leading Ladies, The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Area
2006

Foreword by John-Michael Howson Cut! Foreword by John-Michael Howson
Cut!, Hollywood murders, accidents, and other tragedies
Willoughby, Australia, 2005

James Robert Parish The Hollywood Book of Scandals James Robert Parish
The Hollywood Book of Scandals, The Shocking, Often Disgraceful Deeds and Affairs of More than 100 American Movie and TV Idols
New York etc., 2004

Eva Gesine Baur Göttinnen des Jahrhunderts Eva Gesine Baur
Göttinnen des Jahrhunderts, 26 Porträts
2001

Tom Pendergast, Sara Pendergast (eds.)
International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, 3. Actors and Actresses
Detroit/New York/San Francisco/London/Boston/Woodbridge, CT, 2000

Andrew Sarris You ain't heard nothin' yet Andrew Sarris
"You ain't heard nothin' yet", the American talking film ; history & memory ; 1927 - 1949
New York, Oxford, 1998

Gregg Felsen Tombstones Gregg Felsen
Tombstones, 75 Famous People and Their Final Resting Places
Berkeley, California, 1997

John Austin
Hollywood's Babylon women
New York, 1994

Danny Peary Alternate Oscars Danny Peary
Alternate Oscars, One Critic's Defiant Choices for Best Picture, Actor, and Actress - From 1927 to the Present
New York, 1993

Robert A. Nowlan and Gwendolyn Wright Nowlan
Movie Characters of Leading Performers of the Sound Era
Chicago and London, 1990

Ann Lloyd (ed.) Movies of the Thirties Ann Lloyd (ed.)
Movies of the Thirties
London, 1983

Michael Jay (editor) Hollywood Goddesses Michael Jay (editor)
Hollywood Goddesses
London, 1982

James Robert Parish with Gregory W. Mank & Don E. Stanke
The Hollywood Beauties
New Rochelle, New York, 1978

James Robert Parish and Ronald L. Bowers The MGM Stock Company James Robert Parish and Ronald L. Bowers
The MGM Stock Company, The Golden Era
New Rochelle, N.Y., 1974

James Robert Parish Hollywood's Great Love Teams James Robert Parish
Hollywood's Great Love Teams
New Rochelle, N.Y., 1974

Ray Stuart (ed.) Immortals of the Screen Ray Stuart (ed.)
Immortals of the Screen
New York, 1965

Books with an entry on Jean Harlow

Denise Lowe An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films, 1895 - 1930 Denise Lowe
An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films, 1895 - 1930
New York, London, Oxford, 2005

David Thomson The New Biographical Dictionary of Film David Thomson
The New Biographical Dictionary of Film
New York, 2003

Glenn Mitchell A-Z of Silent Film Comedy Glenn Mitchell
A-Z of Silent Film Comedy, An Illustrated Companion
London, 1998

Danny Peary Cult Movie Stars Danny Peary
Cult Movie Stars
New York, [..], 1991

Paul Michael, editor in chief. James Robert Parish, associate editor The American movies reference book Paul Michael, editor in chief. James Robert Parish, associate editor
The American movies reference book, The sound era
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.,, 1969

Books with photograph(s) of Jean Harlow

John Richard Finch and Paul Elby Close-Ups John Richard Finch and Paul Elby
Close-Ups, From the Golden Age of the Silent Cinema
South Brunswick and New York - London, 1978

Articles on Jean Harlow

James Robert Haspiel, The Monroe-Harlow Connection, in: Films in Review, vol. 30, 1979 pp. 145-149, 173

Gregory Mank, Jean Harlow, in: Films in Review, vol. 29, 1978 pp. 599-616