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Work in Hollywood trickled in before Gable secured his first starring role opposite Joan Crawford in 'Dance, Fools, Dance.' Gable and Crawford began an affair shortly afterwards. In all, Gable partnered with Crawford in eight films.
William Clark Gable was born on February 1, 1901 in Cadiz, Ohio. He caught the acting bug in his late teens and after relocating to Portland in Oregon for work, started taking evening acting classes. The aspiring thespian is pictured aged 20.
By now one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, Clark Gable was recognized throughout the world as a major figure in cinema and was enjoying the most successful period in his career. He's seen here applying makeup during the filming of 'Men in White' (1934).
Gable's star was in the ascent throughout the early 1930s, as MGM's most important romantic leading man. In 1934, he appeared in Frank Capra's 'It Happened One Night' opposite Claudette Colbert (pictured). It became the first film to win all five major Academy Awards—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay—an accomplishment to date only repeated twice with 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (1975) and 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991).
Gable's portrayal of Fletcher Christian in 'Mutiny on the Bounty' garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. The film, which costars Charles Laughton, was a huge box-office success and won the Oscar for Best Picture.
Released in 1939, 'Gone with the Wind' is Clark Gable's best-known film. His portrayal of Rhett Butler saw him nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and, though he didn't win, his performance is regarded as the highlight of his career. Incidentally, Butler's last line in 'Gone with the Wind,' "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," is one of the most famous lines in movie history.
American author and journalist Margaret Mitchell wrote only one novel, published during her lifetime, the American Civil War-era novel 'Gone with the Wind.' In 1936, she had no idea that her story about the struggles of young Scarlett O'Hara and her relationship with one Rhett Butler would be adapted into one of cinema's most celebrated films.
In this publicity still, Gable is pictured with co-star Myrna Loy on the set of 'Manhattan Melodrama' (1934). This was the film notorious gangster John Dillinger had gone to see at Chicago's Biograph Theater on July 22, 1934. After leaving the theater, he was shot and killed by federal agents.
In 1936, Gable collaborated with Spencer Tracy on 'San Francisco' (pictured), the first of three pictures the two film stars would make together, the others being 'Test Pilot' (1938) and 1940's 'Boom Town.'
Clark Gable watches with interest as his favorite co-star of the '30s, Jean Harlow, films a close-up during the making of 'Saratoga.' Harlow was the spirited type of woman Gable admired, and her death in 1937 from kidney failure while they were making the picture shocked and grieved him. In the wake of Harlow's demise, body doubles were used to complete the film.
The aforementioned 'Test Pilot' was well received by critics and by aviation historians too, for its use of contemporary aircraft. A few years later, Gable would end up in the air in real life, as a member of the US Army, under the Army Air Forces.
'Boom Town' was the third and final picture Gable made with Spencer Tracy, and became the highest-grossing film of 1940.
Gable had already enlisted in the Army Air Forces when Carole Lombard died. He'd continued acting, but by 1943 was in England stationed at RAF Polebrook with the 351st Bomb Group. Gable flew five combat missions, including one to Germany, as an observer-gunner in B-17 Flying Fortresses between May 4 and September 23, 1943.
By now in his late fifties, Gable enjoyed a brief career resurrection with the romantic comedy 'Teacher's Pet' alongside Doris Day. His role as journalist James Gannon received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
'Idiot's Delight' is notable as the only film where Gable sings and dances, performing 'Puttin' On the Ritz' by Irving Berlin.
'Show Business at War' is a short film made by The March of Time in 1943 to tout the United States film industry's contribution to the Second World War effort. Among the many actors and directors featured in the production is Clark Gable.
Immediately after his divorce from Maria Langham in 1939, Gable married Carole Lombard. The pair had first met in 1932 and were reacquainted in 1936. Their time spent together as husband and wife was one of the happiest periods in Gable's life.
The actor welcomed in the 1950s with a series of popular though routine pictures before making 'Mogambo' with Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner. Directed by John Ford, the film was shot on location in Africa and was a remake of 'Red Dust' (1932), which was set in Vietnam and also starred Gable. 'Mogambo' was a hit and placed Gable's faltering career somewhat back on track.
The Second World War drama 'Run Silent, Run Deep' with Burt Lancaster was noted by critics for its accurate and realistic depiction of submarine warfare. Lancaster personally praised Gable's acting talent, describing him as a consummate professional.
On November 6, 1960, Clark Gable was admitted to hospital after suffering a heart attack. Ten days later, on November 16, he died. 'The Misfits' was released posthumously.
Gable's last film was 'The Misfits.' It was also Marilyn Monroe's last completed film. Many critics regard Gable's performance to be his finest. But he was not well.
Once one of the most consistent box-office performers in cinema, Gable had by 1955 dropped out of the top 10 Hollywood box-office list. 'Band of Angels' with Yvonne De Carlo was by now typical of his work, a moderate financial success but not very well received.
'It Started In Naples' was a box-office success, due in part to Sophia Loren's smoldering sex appeal and the exotic Italian locations, including the island of Capri. This was Gable's final film to be released within his lifetime, and his last film in color.
A smiling Clark Gable hoists his Best Actor Oscar for his role as Peter Warne in 'It Happened One Night.' This was the actor's only Academy Award win.
Actors James Stewart and Spencer Tracy were among the mourners at the funeral of Clark Gable at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. The actor is interred in the Great Mausoleum on Memorial Terrace, next to Carole Lombard.
Sources: (Britannica) (History)
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Gable's wealth and fame allowed him to live a lavish Hollywood lifestyle complete with requisite homes and a fleet of luxury automobiles. In fact, he loved cars and owned many throughout his lifetime.
In 1955, actress Kay Williams became the fifth Mrs. Clark Gable. The couple had a son, John Clark Gable. He was born on March 20, 1961, four months after the actor's death. John Clark Gable established the Clark Gable Foundation and oversaw the restoration of the house in which his father was born and later opened as a museum in Cadiz, Ohio.
Gable took full advantage of his good looks and obvious sex appeal. His brief liaison with co-star Loretta Young during the filming of 1935's 'Call of the Wild' resulted in Young's hushed-up pregnancy and the birth of their daughter, Judy Lewis (1935–2011). Lewis later became a well-known actress, writer, and producer, but it was many years before she realized Gable was her biological father.
Gable's first postwar film was the poorly-received 'Adventure' with Greer Garson (pictured). He fared better in 1947's 'The Hucksters,' which costarred Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner. He then appeared in two movies in 1948 themed around the war—'Homecoming' and 'Command Decision.' In 1949, Gable married for the fourth time, to British model and actress Sylvia Ashley. But it was an unhappy union, and they divorced in 1952.
Gable's mentor and acting coach was Josephine Dillon. In 1924, the pair moved to Los Angeles where Dillon became his manager and, soon afterwards, his wife. Gable found work in Hollywood as an extra in several silent movies, but was not offered any major film roles. He instead turned to the stage, first in Houston, and later in New York City.
In April 1930, Gable and Dillon divorced. A few days later, he married Maria Langham. The newlyweds moved to California in order for Gable to reignite his film career. The couple are pictured in 1934.
On January 16, 1942, the plane carrying Carole Lombard, her mother, and 20 other passengers and crew crashed into a sheer cliff on Potosi Mountain in Nevada. There were no survivors. His wife's sudden death devastated Gable, both physically and emotionally, and he never fully recovered from the trauma. He's pictured in mourning shortly after learning of the tragedy.
In 1944 and by now promoted to major, Clark Gable produced and narrated 'Combat America,' a documentary about aerial combat over occupied Europe, which served as a testament to the Eighth Air Force aircrew and ground crew in England. Distinguished with various military honors, Major Gable continued with reserve officer duties after the war but eventually resigned his commission in 1947 because of conflicting motion picture schedules. Image: US Army Air Force
Clark Gable made his Broadway debut in November 1928 in 'Machinal' alongside Zita Johann. The play by American playwright and journalist Sophie Treadwell was inspired by the real-life case of convicted and executed murderer Ruth Snyder.
Dubbed the "King of Hollywood," Clark Gable epitomized cinema's Golden Age and was one of the most popular movie stars of his generation. The embodiment of the American ideal of masculinity and virility, Gable's onscreen leading man persona was equally alluring offscreen, and he was a legend for his numerous romantic liaisons with actresses and fashion models. His career saw him win an Oscar for Best Actor, though not for his most famous role, that of Rhett Butler in 'Gone with the Wind' (1939). His accolades also extended to military decorations for service during the Second World War. Indeed, he was a handsome, all-action hero, and remains crowned as one of moviedom's most famous actors.
Click through for an appreciation of the life and work of Clark Gable.
Celebrating Clark Gable, the "King of Hollywood"
Cinema's favorite leading man was born on February 1, 1901
CELEBRITY Retrospective
Dubbed the "King of Hollywood," Clark Gable epitomized cinema's Golden Age and was one of the most popular movie stars of his generation. The embodiment of the American ideal of masculinity and virility, Gable's onscreen leading man persona was equally alluring offscreen, and he was a legend for his numerous romantic liaisons with actresses and fashion models. His career saw him win an Oscar for Best Actor, though not for his most famous role, that of Rhett Butler in 'Gone with the Wind' (1939). His accolades also extended to military decorations for service during the Second World War. Indeed, he was a handsome, all-action hero, and remains crowned as one of moviedom's most famous actors.
Click through for an appreciation of the life and work of Clark Gable.