Jean Harlow

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 preCode 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 MGMs 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