Let’s take a step back to a time before Marilyn Monroe became the ultimate blonde bombshell. Before her, there was Jean Harlow. On the big screen, Jean stood out with her curvaceous figure, radiant beauty, and hair that seemed to glow like sunlight hitting a summer sky. She wasn’t just any starlet—she was the first to be called “platinum blonde,” a term inspired by the rare, precious, and costly metal that matched her dazzling allure. Jean Harlow wasn’t just a Hollywood face; she was a symbol of modernity. As Darrell Rooney, co-author of Harlow in Hollywood: The Blonde Bombshell in the Glamour Capital, puts it, “She was young, vivacious, modern, and accessible.” And her story? Well, it's a tale of brilliance and heartbreak.
The Making of a Star: Jean Harlow's Rise to Fame
Let’s talk about Jean Harlow, the girl from Kansas City, Missouri, who became a Hollywood legend. Her look was groundbreaking, her charm undeniable. But behind the scenes, Jean’s life wasn’t all glitz and glamour. Her journey to stardom wasn’t easy, and her personal life was far from perfect. Jean was born to a mother, nicknamed “Mama Jean” Bello, who had dreams of her own that never quite came true. Mama Jean funneled her unfulfilled ambitions into her daughter, creating a dynamic that would shape Jean’s life—and not always for the better. According to Rooney, “Jean loved her mother deeply and would do anything for her. But when you’re trying to grow up and be an adult, that kind of relationship can be unhealthy.”
From Aspirations to Stardom
Young Jean Harlow had dreams of her own. She wanted to be a writer, but she put those dreams on hold to fulfill her mother’s Hollywood aspirations. In 1930, Jean starred in Hell’s Angels, a film that skyrocketed her to fame. It became the highest-grossing movie of the year, and Jean quickly became a rival to other screen icons like Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. But with fame came complications. Jean’s personal life was anything but smooth sailing.
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Love and Loss: Jean Harlow's Complicated Love Life
Jean’s romantic life was as dramatic as her films. In just seven years, she married three times. Two of those marriages ended in divorce, and tragically, her second husband, movie studio executive Paul Bern, committed suicide in 1932. Rooney explains, “Jean was always searching for a partner who could protect her from her mother. But it was always a battle between Mama Jean and the husband, and the mother always won.” Jean’s relationships were often overshadowed by her mother’s influence, creating a tension that no man could overcome.
The Man Who Could’ve Changed Everything
In 1934, Jean met actor William Powell, the former husband of actress Carole Lombard and an MGM star best known for his role in the Thin Man series. Powell was everything Jean was drawn to: sophisticated, worldly, and charming. “He was exactly the kind of man she was attracted to,” says Rooney. But despite his feelings for Jean, William hesitated to marry her. After his tumultuous marriage to Carole, he was wary of wedding another actress. Plus, he knew Mama Jean would be a constant presence in their lives. As co-author Mark A. Vieira explains, “He had her and her husband investigated for evidence of financial misdeeds, hoping to find a way to lessen Mama Jean’s influence.”
A Tragic End
Unfortunately, William’s plans came too late. In 1937, while filming Saratoga, Jean fell ill with nausea, fatigue, and abdominal pain. Initially misdiagnosed with an inflamed gallbladder, it was soon discovered that she was in the final stages of kidney failure. After a brief recovery, Jean passed away just ten days later at the young age of 26. Her death left a void that no one could fill. Vieira recounts, “Her mother became delusional, dressing in her daughter’s clothes and trying to communicate with her through mediums.” William, who was by Jean’s side when she passed, paid for her grand crypt at Glendale’s Forest Lawn cemetery. “He honored Jean’s memory by looking after her mother,” says Rooney.
For this story and more, pick up the latest issue of Closer magazine, on newsstands now.
