Clark Gable (February 1st, 1901-November 16th, 1960) was an American actor who was especially famous in the 1930s.
Early Life
Clark Gable was born on February 1st, 1901, in Cadiz, Ohio, US, to William Henry Gable and Adeline. William Henry was an oil driller. The Gable's named their son William, after Mr. Gable, but they called him Clark and sometimes Billy. He was an only child.
William Henry married Jennie Dunlap in April 1903, but Dunlap died in 1919. They had no children together.
Early Career (1920s)
Silent Films
Forbidden Paradise(1924), as a Soldier in the Czarina's guard
The Merry Widow(1925), as a Ballroom Dancing extra
The Plastic Age(1925), as a minor uncredited role
The Johnston Flood(1926), as an extra
Talking Films
Machinal(1928), as a man
Rising Popularity (1930s)
Clark Gable became famous in the 1930s. He soon became MGM's most popular male actor in the studio. In 1932, he starred in Red Dust with Jean Harlow, and became exceedingly famous. Although on the screen they were in love, in reality, they couldn't stand each other. Gable considered Harlow a snob, and Harlow considered Gable a wooden actor.
Death of Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow died of a kidney failure in 1937. She was 26 years old.
Gone With the Wind
Perhaps the most famous film that Clark Gable starred in was the 1939 academy award winning film Gone With the Wind. He starred as Rhett Butler, one of the protagonists in the story. Gone With the Wind won an award for the best picture of 1939.
World War II
Clark Gable joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1942. MGM was reluctant to let him go, but he joined anyways. They arranged for Gable's studio friend, cinematographer Andrew McIntyre to join with him.
On October 28th, 1942, Gable and McIntyre were made second lieutenants.
Adolf Hitler, who was against America, surprisingly favored Gable above all other actors, and offered an enormous amount of money to anybody who kidnapped him and brought him to Germany without any injuries.
Gable earned several medals of honor: Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, American Campaign Medal, European African Middle-Eastern Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
After World War II
Clark Gable starred in several more films after World War II.
Films
Adventure(1945) as Harry Patterson
The Hucksters(1947) as Victor Albee Norman
Never Let Me Go(1953) as Phillip Sutherland
Mogambo(1953) as Victor Marswell
Soldier of Fortune(1955) as Hank Lee
The Tall Men(1955) as Colonel Ben Allison
The King and Four Queens(1956) as Dan Kehoe
Band of Angels(1957) as Hamish Bond
Teacher's Pet(1958) as James Gannon
Run Silent, Run Deep(1958) as Commander P.J. Richardson
But Not For Me(1959) as Russel Ward
It Started in Naples(1960) as Michael Hamilton
Clark Gable's last film was The Misfits(1961) was Clark Gable's last film. It was released after his death.
Personal Life
Clark Gable had many spouses and two children. Gable first married Josephine Dillon in 1924, but they divorced in 1930. Maria Langham followed in 1931, but their marriage also ended in divorce in 1939. Clark Gable married once again in the same year to Carole Lombard, but in 1942, Lombard died in a plane crash. Gable married again in 1949 to Sylvia Ashley, but once again, Gable divorced in 1952. Gable's last wife was Kay Williams, and they married in 1955. They were married until Gable's death.
Clark Gable had Judy Lewis, in 1935, and John Clark Gable in 1961.
Death
Clark Gable died on November 6th, 1960, aged 59. He had suffered a heart attack prior to his death, and when his conditions seemed to be improving, he died that evening of a blood clot.