Claim: Saratoga includes actors.

Jean Harlow -LRB- born Harlean Harlow Carpenter ; March 3 , 1911 -- June 7 , 1937 -RRB- was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s .   Harlow was signed by director Howard Hughes , and her first major appearance was in Hell 's Angels -LRB- 1930 -RRB- , 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 -LRB- 1932 -RRB- , Dinner at Eight -LRB- 1933 -RRB- , Reckless -LRB- 1935 -RRB- , and Suzy -LRB- 1936 -RRB- . 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 at age 26 during the 1937 filming of Saratoga . The film was completed using body doubles and released a little over a month after Harlow 's death . The American Film Institute ranked her as the 22nd greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema .