Jean Harlow is a Hollywood actress whose career began in the late 1920s. For almost 10 years that the artist shone on the screen, Harlow managed to conquer many men's hearts, she became a role model for women. However, fate turned out to be cruel to her: at the age of 26, Jean Harlow died suddenly.
The girl, thanks to whom the image of a gorgeous platinum blonde became in demand in Hollywood cinema, was not Marilyn Monroe at all. The famous actress only borrowed this appearance from her predecessor, known in the cinema under the pseudonym Jean Harlow.
Unlike Monroe, Jean Harlow is remembered today by few people. To many fans of American cinema, this star, whose life path unexpectedly and even absurdly ended in the late 1930s of the last century, is not at all familiar. Her career developed rapidly, but did not last very long, just like Jean's life. The girl left this world before she even reached the age of 30.
Biography facts
The future blonde Hollywood star was born in early spring in 1911. Date of birth: March 3. The hometown for Harlene Harlow Carpenter - that was actually the name of Jean - was Kansas City, located in the US state of Missouri.
The girl's father worked as a dentist; unfortunately, nothing is known about the profession of her mother, whose name was Jin Po. A woman all her life dreamed of getting into films and television, but she was not destined to become a famous actress.
Harlene spent her childhood in a huge country house owned by her grandparents. The girl had a difficult relationship with her father, but she simply adored her mother. Harlene tried to be like her in everything, was obedient and meek. Jin Po took care of her daughter in every possible way, but she herself was not happy in marriage. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that her family life ended in divorce.
Parents broke up, then Harlow was 11 years old. By that time, the adorable girl, distinguished by her artistry and feeling free in public, was already attending school. Interestingly, it was not customary in the family to refer to Harleen by her first name. Both her parents and grandparents called her baby. Therefore, at first, when the girl was receiving basic education, it was not easy for her to get used to being addressed by her first and last name.
After the divorce of her parents, Harlene and her mother moved for a while from their hometown to Hollywood. For the next 2 years, Jin Poe tried to break into the theatrical stage, she also attended various auditions, where they selected actors for filming in television series and movies. However, she did not manage to get a single role. As a result, she and Harlin had to move again, returning to Kansas City.
Harlow studied well at school and willingly attended various creative circles. She took part in school performances, but did not plan to connect her life with cinema. In the end, her mother insisted on choosing a profession, who had a huge influence on the girl.
In her childhood, Harlene was not very healthy. As a very young woman, she suffered from meningitis, and as a teenager she contracted scarlet fever, caught in a summer camp.
When Harlow and her mother settled again in Kansas City, Jean Poe remarried after a while. What developed the relationship between Harlene and her stepfather is unknown.
At the age of 16, having already completed his secondary education, Harlene met a young man named Charles Fremont McGrew. He was several years older than her and came from a very wealthy family. McGrew's parents did not at all appreciate the fact that he fell in love with young Harlene as much as she fell in love with him. Harlow's mother also did not approve of this relationship, not wanting to let go of her daughter and dreaming that the baby would be able to realize her unfulfilled dream - she would become an actress.
The young people, having conspired, fled to Chicago, where the wedding took place. However, young Harlin's family life lasted only a few months. Under pressure from her mother, Harlow broke up with her beloved, and later filed for divorce. The divorce proceedings ended when Harlow turned 17. After that, she, along with her mother and stepfather, left Kansas City and moved to Los Angeles, located in California. It was here that Harlin's film career started.
Short creative path
For the first time on the stage, the future star and sex symbol of Hollywood appeared in 1928. She worked as a statistician in the film Bonds of Honor. Then, during 1929, the girl starred in 5 short films, as well as in the full-length film Saturday Night Child.
The first fame and success came to Harlow when she was approved for a role in the film "Hell's Angels", released in 1930. The film had significant box office receipts for that time, and the young actress captivated viewers and critics not only with her acting and charisma, but also with her attractive appearance.
After such a success, Harlow, listening to the advice of agents, began to change her appearance. She completely discolored her hair, plucked her eyebrows in order to draw new ones in their place with a thin pencil, and began to pick on clothes meticulously. It was she who brought into fashion white tight-fitting dresses, bright scarlet lipstick on the lips and flirty, neatly styled snow-white curls.
During 1931, 5 films were released at once with the participation of a young attractive actress, who at that moment had already taken the pseudonym Jean Harlow. The films "Platinum Blonde" and "Public Enemy" brought her a new wave of popularity.
In total, the Hollywood star's filmography includes more than 25 successful films. She shone in projects such as Red Dust, Explosive Beauty, Missouri Girl, Sea of China, Wife vs. Secretary, Slandered, Personal Property.
The last movie in which the recognized Hollywood star managed to star was the film "Saratoga". The film was released in 1937. The premiere took place after Jean Harlow's death and funeral.
Tragic death
Even while working on the film "Personal Property" the actress felt unwell. She fell ill with the flu, but could not afford the normal treatment. Jin had a very busy filming schedule.
The Hollywood star's condition deteriorated sharply when Harlow began filming her latest motion picture, Saratoga. The girl was hospitalized right from the set.
At the hospital, Jean Harlow was diagnosed with uremia. The severity of the disease was already such that the doctors could not do anything. The infection almost completely "engulfed" Jean. The petite blonde, who in record time became the favorite of directors and film critics, died in a hospital ward a week after she was hospitalized. The cause of death was extensive cerebral edema.
The actress Jean Harlow died on June 7, 1937. She was buried in a private cemetery located in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The star rests on the territory of the Great Mausoleum in the Marble Crypt. The funeral, which was attended by a huge number of people, cost an astronomical amount. The sponsor, according to sources, was William Powell, a man who was sincerely in love with the actress.
Personal life
In addition to a marriage that lasted less than a year, Jean Harlow was married twice more.
She was the wife of Paul Bern, who was 2 times older than the girl. The relationship between the spouses was complicated, there was no love. It was rumored that her husband even beat Harlow. However, the matter never came to a divorce: Bern committed suicide, making Jean a young widow.
For the third time, the actress married a cameraman named Harold Rossen. Family life did not last long and ended in another divorce.
