Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Former Chicago journalist who teamed up with Ben Hecht to write several Broadway hits, including The Front Page (1928) and Twentieth Century (1932), before turning his attentions to Hollywood. MacArthur's best work as both writer (BARBARY COAST, 1935, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, 1939) and director (CRIME WITHOUT PASSION, 1934, THE SCOUNDREL, 1935) was done in collaboration with Hecht. Other notable writing credits include KING OF JAZZ (1930), THE SIN OF MADELON CLAUDET (1931), ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (1935), GUNGA DIN and WUTHERING HEIGHTS (both 1939), HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940, from The Front Page), THE SENATOR WAS INDISCREET (1947) and PERFECT STRANGERS (1950 from play Ladies and Gentlemen). MacArthur married actress Helen Hayes in 1928 and their adopted son is actor James MacArthur.  Nominated for Writing (Original Story) 1932-33: RASPUTIN AND THE EMPRESS  Writing (Original Story) 1935: THE SCOUNDREL (w. Ben Hecht)  Nominated for Writing (Original Story) 1939: WUTHERING HEIGHTS (w. Ben Hecht) 3 nominations, 1 Award