Clark Gable
born: 01-02-1902
birth place: Cadiz, Ohio
died: 16-11-1960
Famed for his charm and knowing smile, Gable worked as an extra in Hollywood before making his film debut as an archetypal villain in the western 'The Painted Desert' in 1931.
He starred in films for various companies, until he signed a contract with MGM that lasted for twenty-three years.
His on-screen appeal meant that early in his career he was playing the leading man, opposite such actresses as Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow and Greta Garbo.
The 30's saw him at the peak of his acting ability and his popular appeal. His performance in 'It Happened One Night' earned him a 'Best Actor' Oscar, and in 1937 he was crowned King of Hollywood. Directors knew that with Clark Gable they were assured a box-office hit.
1939 saw Clark play perhaps his most famous role, Rhett Butler to Vivien Leigh's Scarlett O'Hara in the civil war epic 'Gone With The Wind'. He got to utter the famous last line, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn".
The same year he married his third wife, actress Carole Lombard, and for a time they were considered the golden couple of Hollywood. Sadly, Lombard died in a helicopter crash in 1942.
After his service in the war, Gable returned the big screen as a leading man. Some say that after Carole Lombard's tragic death his sadness became evident in his acting, and in the fading of his all-important smile.
Even though his work in the 1940's and 50's didn't shine in the same way as his earlier work, he continued to be a box-office draw.
Marilyn Monroe was his last on-screen partner. His role as a troubled cowboy in 'The Misfits' proved to be his last. Shortly after they finished filming he died of a heart attack.
