Real name: Harlean Harlow Carpenter (pronounced Har-LEEN)

Harlean is an amalgam of her mother's maiden name, Jean Harlow. It's interesting to note
that the name Harlow appears on the birth announcements but not on the birth certificate.
She legally changed her name from Harlean Carpenter Rosson to Jean Harlow on 7/1/36 at Los
Angeles County Superior Court.

Lifelong nickname: The Baby

Birthdate: March 3, 1911 (7:40pm)

Birthplace: Her parents' home at 3344 Olive Street, Kansas City, MO

Vitals: 9 lbs.

Mother: Jean Poe Harlow Carpenter, 22 (daughter of wealthy real estate broker Skip Harlow
and his wife Ella Williams)

Father: Mont Clair Carpenter, 33, a dentist

Step-Father: Marino Bello (1927-1935), a mob-connected opportunist

Siblings: None

Family background: Harlean's parents were married on October 1, 1908 in a Presbyterian
ceremony at the Harlow home, 930 Orville Road, in Kansas City, MO. Mother Jean, unhappy
in the marriage which was arranged by her father, divorced Carpenter on September 29, 1922
and was granted sole custody of Harlean. Carpenter agreed to pay $200 a month child support
although Mother Jean rarely let him see his daughter.

Childhood details: An only child, Harlean spent her first 12 years growing up in the lap of
Kansas City luxury. Despite being pampered by wealth, she was emotionally deprived -- the
stereotypical "poor little rich girl." Still, Harlean remained an unspoiled child with a
sweet, affectionate disposition. She was physically attractive even at an early age.

Harlean moved to Hollywood in 1923 with Mother Jean when the elder Harlow pursued her dream
to become a movie star. Unfortunately for Mother Jean, at age 34 she was considered too old
to break into the business. They returned to Kansas City two years later when Skip Harlow
threatened to cut them off financially.

Schooling:

Miss Barstow's School, private academy, Kansas City (1921?-1923)

Hollywood School For Girls, private academy, Hollywood (1923-1925)

Notre Dame de Sion, strict convent boarding school, Kansas City (1925-one semester)

Miss Bigelow's School, private academy, Kansas City (1925)

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MARRIAGES

Charles McGrew III: 1927-1929 (elopement; divorced)

Paul Bern: July 2, 1932-September 5, 1932 (widowed; suicide)

Harold Rosson: 1933-1934 (elopement; divorced)

William Powell: "Engaged" at the time of Jean's death although Powell reportedly told her that he was reluctant to marry another Hollywood bombshell after his divorce from Carole Lombard.

Children: None

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PERSONAL

Height: 5' 2"

Weight: 109 lbs

Dress size: undetermined

Shoe size: 4

Eyes & brows: Jean's beautiful green eyes were deep-set and she had to be lit just so for
film and photo sessions in order to bring them out in contrast the angle of her nose and
the cleft in her chin. Her trademark extremely-arched eyebrows were drawn in after her own
comparatively straight eyebrows were shaved off.

Fun fact #1: Diminutive Jean was mistaken for a child by Rosalind Russell when she saw the
star, whose head was hidden under a hair dryer, in the MGM hair & makeup department. She
described seeing Harlow's "baby hands" being manicured and "baby legs" resting against the
chair.

Fun fact #2: Not so fun for Jean was the fact that despite being blessed with an incredible
figure, she had to adhere to a strict diet to keep slim, eating mostly vegetables and salads.

Fun fact #3: Jean did not like to wear bras and was advised by her mother to ice her breasts
to keep them firm. Similarly, she did not like to wear underwear because she disliked lines
and she also preferred to sleep in the nude. Although these clothing practices were considered
racy, especially due to her sex-symbol status, she actually approached them with a child-like
freedom from confinement.

Hair color: Although a natural ashe blonde, her trademark platinum tresses were achieved
through weekly bleaching sessions using a mixture of peroxide, ammonia, Clorox and Lux
Flakes -- an extremely painful and harsh process.

Jean wore a wig for the title role of Red-Headed Woman and, in an effort to save her
bleach-damaged hair, she was transformed into a brownette for Riffraff. She wore a platinum
blonde wig over damaged hair in China Seas.

Religion: undetermined -- Mother Jean, who turned to Christian Sccience in the 1930s, told
reporters that all churches were the same to her daughter.

Pets: Jean was an avid animal enthusiast. As a child she had an "endless array of pets" which
included an Airdale named Tigalaff. In later years when she was a star living on Club View
Drive, canine star Rin-Tin-Tin lived across the street and she owned one of his litter -- a
platinum blonde named Duncie. Among her pets in the 1930s were Oscar (a Pomeranian), Good Cat
and Bad Cat (both alley cats), 'Erbert (a goldfish given to her by a fan), Tiger (a Norwegian
huskie), His Royal Highness (a Persian cat) and six ducks.

Hobbies: Jean loved to read and write. With the assistance of her friend Carey Wilson, she
authored a novel "Today Is Tonight" which was posthumusly published as a paperback in 1965.

Sports: An excellent athlete, Jean played golf and tennis and rode horses. She enjoyed
swimming but rarely used her pool as the sun was very harsh on her fair skin.

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CAREER

First job: In the spring of 1928, Harlean was introduced to a Fox Studios executive when
she drove a friend to her appointment there. Although she expressed disinterest in acting,
the executive insisted on writing her letters of introduction to Fox and The Central Casting
Bureau. Weeks later, on a dare from friends, she returned to Fox's casting office and signed
in under her mother's maiden name, Jean Harlow.

Weeks later, at her mother's insistence and after turning down other job opportunities,
Jean appeared in her first film, Honor Bound as an unbilled extra.

Filmography:
(* indicates a silent or limited sound film)

Honor Bound* (Fox, 1928) unbilled extra
Moran Of The Marines* (Paramount, 1928) unbilled extra
Chasing Husbands* (Hal Roach Studios, 1928)
Fugitives* (Fox, 1929) unbilled extra
Why Be Good?* (First National, 1929) unbilled extra
The Unkissed Man* (Hal Roach Studios, 1929)
Why Is A Plumber?* (Hal Roach Studios, 1929)
Liberty* (Hal Roach Studios, 1929) billed as Harlean Carpenter
Thundering Toupees* (Hal Roach Studios, 1929)
Close Harmony (Paramount, 1929) unbilled extra
Double Whoopee* (Hal Roach Studios, 1929)
Bacon Grabbers* (Hal Roach Studios, 1929)
Masquerade (Fox, 1929) unbilled extra
This Thing Called Love (Pathe, 1929) unbilled extra
New York Nights (United Artists, 1929) unbilled extra
The Love Parade (Paramount, 1929) unbilled extra
The Saturday Night Kid (Paramount, 1929)
Weak But Willing (Al Christie Comedies, 1929) unbilled extra
Hell's Angels (United Artists, 1930)
City Lights* (United Artists, 1931) unbilled extra; visible in still photos but not in film itself
The Secret Six (MGM, 1931)
Iron Man (Universal, 1931)
The Public Enemy (Warner Brothers, 1931)
Scarface (United Artists, 1932) unbilled cameo appearance
Goldie (Fox, 1931)
Platinum Blonde (Columbia, 1931)
Three Wise Girls (Columbia, 1932)
Beast Of The City (MGM, 1932)
Red-Headed Woman (MGM, 1932)
Red Dust (MGM, 1932)
Dinner at Eight (MGM, 1933)
Hold Your Man (MGM, 1933)
Bombshell (MGM, 1933)
The Girl From Missouri (MGM, 1933)
Reckless (MGM,1935)
China Seas (MGM, 1935)
Riffraff (MGM, 1936)
Wife Versus Secretary (MGM,1936)
Suzy (MGM, 1936)
Libeled Lady (MGM, 1936)
Personal Property (MGM, 1937)
Saratoga (MGM, 1937) Jean died before filming was completed; MGM wanted to scrap or recast
it but fans demanded to see her final work.

Double duty: Jean's secretary and good friend Barbara Brown also served as her stand-in.
She had doubles in the following films:

Reckless: Virginia Verrill sang and Betty Halsey doubled in a dancing sequence
Suzy: Eadie Adams sang
Saratoga: After Jean's death, Mary Dees was her body double and Paula Winslowe dubbed
her voice in unfinished scenes
Honors: Jean's hand and feet prints are immortalized at Graumann's Chinese Theatre in 1933
in conjunction with the release of Dinner At Eight. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
was one of the original stars placed when the Chamber of Commerce dedicated the attraction
in the late 1950s.

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DEATH

Date/Time: June 7, 1937 at 11:38am

Age: 26

Location: Good Samaritan Hospital (Room 826), Los Angeles, CA

Cause: Her death certificate lists acute resperatory infection, acute nephritis an uremia.
Basically, she died from kidney failure -- her kidneys were damaged when she contracted
scarlett fever at age 14. It is a slowly progressing disease and can remain undetected
for years. This was a fatal ailment in 1937 as dialysis and transplants had not yet been
pioneered.

The Myths: Copies of hospital records obtained by her biographers and her cousin David
Baldwin prove she received constant medical care. Mother Jean, who was a Christian Scientist,
reportedly used the excuse of "no medical assistance" to thwart an attempt by Louis B. Mayer
to bring his personal physician in on Jean's case. Mother Jean did not want to relinquish
control of her daughter or her health to the studio.

Additionally, no medical evidence exists to support rumors that her kidneys were damaged
from an alleged beating by her second husband, Paul Bern. Similarly, rumors that bleach
from her hair seeped into her brain and killed her are false.

Burial: Forest Lawn - Glendale, CA.

Her crypt, which she shares with Mother Jean, is in a private area of The Great Mausoleum
and not accessible to the public.

Jean's name appears above the entrance way in gold lettering and her tomb is engraved with
the simple works "Our Baby." Mother Jean's tomb is unmarked and it is undetermined whether
she is in the space above or below Jean. The third space, which was assumed to be for
William Powell who purchased the crypt, remains empty. Powell is buried in Palm Springs, CA
with his last wife, Mousie.

Estate: Jean left all her possessions to her mother. During her career as a highly-paid
movie star, her mother and step-father mismanaged her money. At the time of her death her
assets amounted to only $24,000 but she owed the IRS $76,000. Technically, her estate was
insolvent. However, she had followed William Powell's advice and purchased retirement
annuities which had accumulated $105,000 in non-taxable benefits that Mother Jean inherited
via a monthly payment of $305 for life.

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SOURCES FOR THE FAQ

Primary source: Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow by David Stenn (Doubleday, 1993)

Secondary sources: Platinum Girl: The Life and Legends of Jean Harlow by Eve Golden
(Abbeville Press, 1991) and various movie fan magazines.

Note: one book decidedly not used as reference material, other than to refute
misinformation, is Harlow by Irving Shulman (Random House/Bernard Geis Associates, 1964)
because it is a fictionalized "biography" and does not accurately represent Miss Harlow
as a person.