 Beginning her film career in 1929 and on Broadway in the early 1930s, Arden's first major role was in the RKO Radio Pictures drama "Stage Door" (1937) opposite Katharine Hepburn, followed by roles in the comedies "Having Wonderful Time" (1938) and the Marx Brothers' "At the Circus" (1939).She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Mildred Pierce" (1945).Later in her career, Arden played the sardonic but engaging high school teacher in the eponymous "Our Miss Brooks", for which she won the first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.