Clark gable parents

1. Early Life and Career Beginnings
2. Meeting Josephine Dillon and Early Success
3. The MGM Years and Marriage to Carole Lombard

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Clark Gable was born on February 1, 1901, in Cadiz, Ohio. His father worked as an oil driller, while his mother took care of the household. Unfortunately, Gable's mother passed away when he was young, and he was raised by his father, grandmother, and later, his stepmother. Despite his father's disapproval, Gable was more interested in the arts than sports. His passion for music and theater was seen by his father as frivolous, but his stepmother convinced his father to give him a chance to pursue his dreams.

After finishing school, Gable expressed his desire to become an actor. Although his father didn't approve, he didn't stand in his way. Gable started his career as a stagehand, earning little money and taking on odd jobs to make ends meet. Eventually, at the age of 20, he made his stage debut as a black cook. However, his performance was deemed unsuccessful, and he was sent back to working as a stagehand.

Meeting Josephine Dillon and Early Success

By chance, Gable ended up in Portland, where he enrolled in acting classes taught by Josephine Dillon, who was 14 years older than him. Dillon became infatuated with Gable and fell in love with him. They got married in 1924, but Dillon claimed that their relationship was only platonic. Gable also didn't consider the marriage serious, but his time with Dillon was crucial for his career.

In the 1930s, the introduction of sound in movies changed the industry. Many actors who were successful in silent films became obsolete. The studios were in need of new stars and new types of characters. Gable became the embodiment of the new leading man. His excellent voice, thanks to Dillon's diction lessons, made him a valuable asset for Hollywood.

The MGM Years and Marriage to Carole Lombard

In 1931, Gable married Maria Langham, a wealthy widow who was 17 years older than him. She wanted her husband to become a movie star and invested a significant amount of money in his career. His early films, made at MGM, were not successful, but Gable slowly gained popularity. However, when he began a romance with Joan Crawford, who had a reputation as a scandalous woman, Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM, punished him by sending him to work at the less prestigious Columbia Pictures studio. Ironically, it was at Columbia Pictures in 1934 that Gable starred in the film "It Happened One Night," for which he won an Oscar. The film not only brought him critical acclaim but also made him a beloved star worldwide.

Some attribute Gable's success to the fact that audiences were tired of the polished and perfect screen idol Robert Taylor and craved a more realistic hero. Gable represented the strong, reliable, and masculine man that Americans wanted to see on screen. This is what made him popular with both men and women.

Soon after, Gable began a relationship with actress Carole Lombard. Although they initially disliked each other when they first met in 1932 on the set of "No Man of Her Own," their feelings changed four years later. On Valentine's Day, Lombard gave Gable a car decorated with hearts, and their affair turned into love. They got married in 1939, and their marriage was considered ideal. Both deeply loved each other and had no thoughts of infidelity. However, their happy life was abruptly cut short when Lombard died in a plane crash on January 16, 1942. Gable was devastated by her death, and he began drinking heavily and neglecting his work. Instead of signing a new contract with MGM, he enlisted in the army, seeking a death in battle. Despite pleas from Louis B. Mayer and high-ranking government officials, Gable became an aerial gunner and conducted several bombing missions over Germany. Miraculously surviving the war, Major Clark Gable returned home in 1943. He was still highly popular, so MGM signed him again. However, he worked without the same spark. After his wife's death, something inside him broke. He searched for a "new Carole" in each woman he was involved with, but when he realized he couldn't find a replacement, he drowned his pain in alcohol.

Gable was married twice more, first to the glamorous but vulgar Sylvia Ashley and then to a young model named Kay Williams. Additionally, he had affairs with many of Hollywood's beauties, including Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, and Grace Kelly. His career in film started to decline, but he received nominations for a Golden Globe for his roles in "Teacher's Pet" (1959) and "But Not for Me" (1960).

In January 1960, Gable announced that he and Kay were expecting a baby, but he tragically didn't live to see his only son. While filming "The Misfits," Gable suffered a heart attack and passed away on January 16, 1960. On this day, America lost its King, a hero, and a symbol of strength and reliability. He reunited with his beloved Carole Lombard. Today, decades later, cinema has its own heroes, but Clark Gable will forever remain the King of Hollywood.