William Clark Gable was born on February 1st, 1901 in Cadiz, Ohio. After seeing the play "The Bird of Paradise", Clark decided to become an actor. He did stage work, and in 1924, he went to Hollywood. He had unimportant bit parts, but something good developed from these. He became friends with Lionel Barrymore, and they would stay friends for life. He had several failed screen tests before MGM signed him in 1931. His first real role was Jake Luva in 1931's "Dance, Fools, Dance" which also starred Joan Crawford. In the same year, he made "A Free Soul" with Norma Shearer. But "Red Dust" in 1932 really made him an MGM star. The film also starred Jean Harlow. The reason people loved him so much was because he was a "man's man", which was different from the usual prissy male roles of the time.
In 1934, Clark starred as Peter Warne in "It Happened One Night", which also starred Claudette Colbert. The film went on to win five Academy Awards including Best Actor (Clark!), Best Actress (Colbert), Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Picture, and Best Screenplay.
In 1935, Clark lost his most famous feature when he shaved off his mustache for the part of Fletcher Christian in "Mutiny on the Bounty". He was nominated for an Oscar for this film, but lost. In 1936, Gable starred in "Wife vs. Secretary" with Jean Harlow. Clark starred with her in "Red Dust" and also "China Seas" in 1935. Their last film together was 1937's "Saratoga", which was Harlow's last film. She died suddenly during production.
Also in 1936, Clark starred with Spencer Tracy in "San Francisco". Gable and Tracy would go on to star in a few more films together and be lifelong friends. In 1938, Clark and Spencer were together again in "Test Pilot", which also starred Myrna Loy. Gable and Loy were crowned "King and Queen of Hollywood" together in 1936, by a popularity contest sponsered by the New York 'Daily News'. "Test Pilot" got fairly good reviews, and Gable was becoming Hollywood's biggest leading man. But in 1939, Clark starred in the mother of all movies.
Yes, in "Gone With the Wind", Clark starred as Rhett Butler, the devilish blockade runner who tries to win the heart of Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh). Clark, however, didn't want to be in the film, and almost quit because he had to cry over the death of Bonnie. But co-star Olivia De Havilland convinced him to stay. "GWTW" features an incredible cast, including Leslie Howard, Thomas Mitchell, Hattie McDaniel, and many, many more. The film was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, and won 8. However, Clark was not one of those winners. The Best Actor award went to Robert Donat for "Goodbye, Mr. Chips". Also nominated that year were James Stewart for "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", Mickey Rooney for "Babes in Arms", and Laurence Olivier for "Wuthering Heights". So Clark had some pretty stiff competition!~
Rhett and Scarlett
But Clark's loss seemed unimportant compared to his incredible gain. This occured during the production of "GWTW". He married the love of his life, actress/commedienne Carole Lombard.
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