Jean Harlow, born Harlean Harlow Carpenter (March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937)
Harlow was signed by director Howard Hughes, and her first major appearance was in Hell's Angels (1930), followed by a series of critically unsuccessful films before she signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1932. Harlow became a leading lady for MGM, starring in a string of hit films including Red Dust (1932), Dinner at Eight (1933), Reckless (1935), and Suzy (1936). Harlow's popularity rivaled and soon surpassed that of her MGM colleagues Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. She had become one of the biggest movie stars in the world by the late 1930s, often nicknamed the "Blond Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde"; she was also popular for her "Laughing Vamp" movie persona. Harlow died during filming of Saratoga. The film was completed using body doubles and released a little over a month after Harlow's death. Harlow had suffered from scarlet fever at age 15 in 1926. This may have contributed to her untimely death from kidney disease on June 7, 1937, at the age of 26. For years, rumors circulated about Harlow's death.
Some claimed that her mother had refused to call a doctor because she was a Christian Scientist or that Harlow herself had declined hospital treatment or surgery. There were also rumors that her death was caused by a botched abortion, or sexually transmitted disease. However, medical bulletins, hospital records, and testimony of her relatives and friends proved that her death was caused by kidney disease. From the onset of her illness, Harlow had been attended by a doctor while she was resting at home; two nurses also visited her house and various equipment was brought from a nearby hospital. Harlow is interred at Forest Lawn-Glendale, inside the Great Mausoleum.
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