Clark Gable

Adolf Hitler esteemed the film star above all other actors, and during the war offered a sizable reward to anyone who could capture and return Gable, who had enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was flying combat missions over Germany, unscathed to him.

A few months after his death, his wife gave birth to John Clark Gable. John is into racing and has appeared in at least one film.

Actress Judy Lewis is Clarks out-of-wedlock daughter by actress Loretta Young. The two had a romance during the filming of Call of the Wild (1935) .

1970s: His Encino, CA, estate was subdivided and turned into a very upscale tract development called "Clark Gable Estates.".

Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA, in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Trust, on the left hand side, next to Carole Lombard.

1995: Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#36).

It was at Gables 36th birthday that Judy Garland sang "Dear Mr. Gable: You Made Me Love You."

Gables first two wives - Josephine Dillon and Maria Franklin Gable (aka Ria Langham) - were 14 and 17 years older than he was, respectively.

1942: He enlisted in the army in honor of his late wife, Carole Lombard. She had been killed in a plane crash while on tour selling war bonds.

When he was first cast in It Happened One Night opposite Claudette Colbert , he told director Frank Capra that he would give the role a shot, but if things werent going well after a few days, he would leave the production.

So durable, he could play the same role in both an original ( Red Dust (1932) ) with Jean Harlow and Mary Astor , and its remake ( Mogambo ) with Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly.

When he was born he was mistakenly listed as a female on his birth certificate.

He disliked Greta Garbo , a feeling that was mutual. She thought his acting was wooden while he considered her a snob.

Playing a cowboy in his last film, The Misfits , which was also the final film for co-star Marilyn Monroe , the aging Gable diligently performed his own stunts, taking its toll on his already guarded health. He died from a heart attack before the film was released.

Pictured on one of four 25 US commemorative postage stamps issued on 23 March 1990 honoring classic films released in 1939. The stamp features Gable and Vivien Leigh as Rhett Butler and Scarlett OHara from Gone with the Wind . The other films honored were Beau Geste , Stagecoach and The Wizard of Oz .

Grandfather of Clark Gable III , whos the first child of his son John Clark Gable and his ex-wife Tracy Yarro. Clark James was born on September 10, 1988 at a hefty 10 lbs.

Gable was dyslexic, a fact which didnt emerge until several years after his death.

Cousin-in-law of William B. Hawks.

Joined the Army Air Corps during the Second World War, and was commissioned an officer with service number 565390. Rose to the rank of captain and served primarily in Public Affairs, making training films and performing public relations visits to soldiers and airmen in Europe.

Inducted into the Lou Holtz/Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame in 2004.

He was seriously considered to play Tarzan in Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) , but he was deemed an unknown and Johnny Weissmuller was chosen instead.

He was voted the 8th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Was Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster s inspiration for half of Supermans alter ego name Clark Kent ("Kent" came from Kent Taylor ).

He worked as a lumberman in the Willamette Valley of Oregon in the early 1920s. After a couple of months of doing that, he quit, saying that "the work was too hard" and he would rather act instead. He then left to go to Hollywood, where he began his acting career.

1952: His widow, Kay Williams , divorced her previous husband, Adolph Spreckels Jr., heir to the Spreckels Sugar fortune. In the divorce papers she alleged that he beat her with one of her slippers.

His wife Sylvia Ashley was born Edith Louise Sylvia Hawkes in 1904. She was the widow of Douglas Fairbanks. Her first husband was Lord Anthony Ashley (they divorced November 28, 1934), her third was Lord Stanley of Alderney, and her fifth was Prince Dimitri Djordjadze (whom she married in 1954 and stayed married to until her death). She died June 29, 1977. Her grave stone refers to her as "Princess Sylvia Djordjadze."

His widow, Kay Williams , was born August 7, 1917, and died in May of 1983.

He was voted the 21st Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.

Named the #7 greatest actor on The 50 Greatest Screen Legends List by the American Film Institute

In some radio interviews at the end of his life, his voice has a haunting similarity to Walt Disney s.

Served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II making training films. Also trained as an aerial gunner, he flew 5 combat missions with the 8th Air Forces 351st Bombardment Group (Heavy) while making his films and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal.

Is the subject of the song "Clark Gable" by The Postal Service.

Is portrayed by James Brolin in Gable and Lombard , Bruce Hughes and Shayne Greenman in "Blonde" , Charles Unwin in Lucy , Larry Pennell in Marilyn: The Untold Story , Edward Winter in The Scarlett OHara War , Boyd Holister in Grace Kelly and Gary Wayne in Malice in Wonderland .

Military records on celebrities released by the Pentagon in 2005 reveal that Gable, upon enlistment, was described as a "motion picture specialist" and his weekly wage was listed as $7,500. A movie cameraman, Andrew J. McIntyre , enlisted along with Gable and trained with him, the documents showed. "In order to have something definite to describe and some tangible evidence of his experiences, it is proposed that there be enlisted his cameraman to be trained as an aerial gunner also who may make pictures of Gable in various theaters of operations," one Army memo said.

Prior to making The Misfits , he crash-dieted from a bloated 230 lbs. to 195 lbs. Twice in the previous decade he had suffered seizures that might have been heart attacks; once, ten years earlier, while driving along a freeway he had chest pains so severe that he had to pull off the road and lie down on the ground until he felt well enough to continue on.

His father was of German, some Swiss-German, and distant Irish, ancestry. His mother was of half German and half Irish descent.

Gave his Oscar for It Happened One Night to a child who admired it, telling him it was the winning of the statue that had mattered, not owning it. The child returned the Oscar to the Gable family after Clarks death.

Had to have almost all of his teeth extracted in 1933 due to pyorrhea. The infection would have killed him had he not been rushed to a private hospital for treatment.

1933: Underwent cosmetic surgery on his ears and teeth.

Gables first screen test was made by director Mervyn LeRoy for Warner Bros. When studio head Jack L. Warner and production chief Darryl F. Zanuck saw the test they were furious at LeRoy for wasting their money on that big "ape" with those "huge floppy taxi-cab ears". Years later when Gable made it big, LeRoy used to tease Warner and say, "How would you like to have him and those huge floppy ears now?".

He served as a pallbearer and usher at Jean Harlow s funeral in 1937.

1938: In a poll of entertainment readers, he was overwhelmingly selected "King of Hollywood" and was officially crowned by columnist Ed Sullivan.

When MGM remade Red Dust (1932) in 1953 as Mogambo , Ava Gardner played the Jean Harlow part, Grace Kelly had the Mary Astor role, and Gable played his old part. Only Gable could fill Gables shoes, even 21 years later.

At the time of his death, his gun collection was valued at half a million dollars. He had a special gun room in his house filled with gold-inlaid revolvers, shotguns and rifles.

11/6/60: Gable was devastated to learn of the unexpected death of his close friend Ward Bond from a heart attack. Shortly afterwards Gable himself suffered a massive heart attack, and died ten days later in the hospital.

Although it is often claimed that Gable died as a result of Marilyn Monroe s behavior and performing his own stunts in The Misfits , he was already in terrible health when filming began from years of excessive drinking and smoking more than three packs of cigarettes a day.

He is the second cousin of film producer Thomas R. Bond II , President of American Mutoscope & Biograph, a motion picture and entertainment company.

1939: Part of Gable and Carole Lombard s honeymoon was spent at the Willows Inn in Palm Springs, CA. Today the Inn continues to operate and anyone can stay in the same room, which is largely unaltered since that time.

Some sources say he turned down the role of Colonel William Travis in The Alamo because he didnt want to be directed by John Wayne. However this seems unlikely, since Travis was 26 at the time of the battle, and Gable would have been 58 when the movie was filmed.

Although he was never crowned #1 at the Box Office in the Top 10 Poll of Money-Making Stars, as ranked by Quigley Publications annual survey of movie exhibitors, he made the list a then-record 15 times from 1932 to 1949, and a 16th time in 1955. Gable, "The King", was ranked in the top four of Box Office stars every year from 1934 to 1939 (the "Golden Age" of Hollywood), ranking #2 in 1934 and 1936 through 1938, inclusive, when he was topped by Shirley Temple. After ranking #3 at the Box Office in 1940, he slumped to #10 in 1941, a position he also held in 1942 and 1943. After returning from the war, he took the #7 spot in the Box Office poll in 1947 and 1948, before again slumping to #10 in 1949. He made his last appearance in the Top 10 in 1955, when he again placed #10.

Despite his dyslexia, Gable became an avid reader. He would never allow himself to be photographed reading on film sets, fearing it would undermine his macho screen image.

Discouraged by his failure to progress in films, Gable tried the stage and became an employable actor, first in stock and eventually on Broadway, without acquiring real fame. When he returned to Hollywood in 1930 for another try at movie acting, his rugged good looks, powerful voice and charisma made him an overnight sensation as the villainous Rance Brett in his first sound picture, The Painted Desert . Gable exploded onto the screen in a dozen 1931 releases, in small parts at first, but he was an established star by the end of the year. Soon his success threatened to eclipse every other star, including his rival Gary Cooper.

He was an early member of the right-wing Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals.

Attempted suicide using a high-powered motorbike following his wife Carole Lombard s death.

During his time on Broadway Gable worked as a stage gigolo, performing stud services for such actresses as Pauline Frederick and Laura Hope Crews , who were considerably older than he. His much older first wife served as his first acting coach and paid for his false teeth. Later he married a woman seventeen years his senior, Texan heiress Maria Franklin Gable , who had underwritten his successful assault on Hollywood.

Gable became increasingly unhappy with the mediocre roles offered him by MGM as a mature actor. He refused to renew his contract with them in 1953 and proceeded to work independently.

He was a conservative Republican, although his third wife Carole Lombard , a liberal Democrat, encouraged him to support President Franklin D. Roosevelt s New Deal reforms. In February 1952 Gable addressed a televised rally at Madison Square Gardens in New York in support of the Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower , and a few days before his death he voted by post for Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election.

6/11/33: He was hospitalized for an infection of the gums the day before he was to begin shooting Dancing Lady . He was hospitalized for several days, after which most of his teeth were extracted. Afterwards, he went on a vacation to Alaska and Canada with his wife, as it would take a couple of weeks for his gums to heal enough so he could be fitted for dentures. MGM shot around Gable until he returned and was fitted with a dental plate, but on July 30, after one days shooting, the infection felled him again. In the days before antibiotics, the infection was so serious Gables gall bladder was removed. Out another month, the film had to be shut down and went $150,000 over budget. MGM boss Louis B. Mayer docked Gable two weeks pay, which caused bad feelings between the studio and its top star. In order to teach him a lesson, Mayer lent him to Columbia Pictures, then a poverty-row studio, to make a comedy. The movie, Frank Capra s masterpiece It Happened One Night , swept the Academy Awards the next year and brought Gable his only Oscar.

3/15/46: Was injured in a car crash at the traffic circle at Sunset Blvd. and Bristol Ave. in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. According to a press release from MGM, Gable was driving east on Sunset Blvd. and had entered the south half of the traffic circle when he was struck by another car, whose driver apparently had become confused by the "round-about" and was driving in a westerly direction on the same arc of the circle. Gable drove his car over a curb to avoid hitting the the other car, and it struck a tree, throwing him against the steering wheel. He was treated at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital for a bruised chest and a cut on his right leg that required stitches. The driver of the other car drove away from the site without checking on Gable or reporting the accident. The hit-and-run accident gave rise to the urban legend that Gable had struck and killed a pedestrian while driving drunk, an incident that allegedly was covered up by MGM. Though reported in several biographies, there is no basis in fact for the allegations.

In the 1950s Gable joined Walt Disney , John Wayne , James Stewart and other politically conservative entertainers to "assist" the House Un-American Activities Committee in its efforts to find alleged Communist infiltration in the film industry.

11/16/60: Gable sat up in his hospital bed while reading a magazine and suffered his fourth and final heart attack. He was dead within seconds and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Proposed his headstone should read: "Back to silents." It was not used by his widow though.

1948: Proposed marriage to Nancy Davis. She became Nancy Reagan in 1952 when she married then actor Ronald Reagan.

As head of the actors division of the Hollywood Victory Committee, Gable sent his wife Carole Lombard on one of the first tours, in January 1942, to her home state of Indiana, where she sold $2 million worth of bonds. On the plane trip back to Hollywood the plane crashed, killing Lombard and her mother. Gable drank heavily for six months before enlisting as a private in the Army Air Corps. He served as a combat cameraman in Britain, rose to the rank of major, and eventually was furloughed to Fort Roach, as the First Motion Picture Unit headquarters came to be known. Gables discharge papers were signed by Captain Ronald Reagan.

1999: The American Film Institute named Gable among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking at #7.

Turned down Cary Grant s role in The Philadelphia Story because he thought the film was too wordy.

His private funeral service at the Church of the Recessional in Forest Lawn Park was attended by 200 mourners including Spencer Tracy , Robert Taylor , James Stewart , Norma Shearer , Ann Sothern , Marion Davies , Frank Capra , Robert Stack , Jack Oakie , Roy Rogers , Dale Evans , Van Johnson and Howard Strickling , Gables longtime publicity man at MGM. There was no eulogy. The closed casket was adorned with yellow roses shaped like a crown, befitting the one-time King of Hollywood.

He was baptized as a Catholic, but raised as a Protestant. However, he did not practice any religion as an adult.

11/5/60: His heart attack happened when he was changing a tire on his jeep. President Dwight D. Eisenhower , a close friend of Gables, sent him a message of support wishing him a speedy recovery.

Contrary to popular belief, Gable did not perform his own stunts in The Misfits . He was only used for the close ups while a stunt double stood in for him in the long shots. His heart attack was caused by his lifestyle - thirty years of heavy smoking and drinking, plus his increasing weight in later years. It is also believed his crash diet before filming began may have been a contributing factor.

Director Howard Hawks had long intended to make Hatari! with Gable and John Wayne. However, by the time filming began Gable was already dead.

In the mid-1950s he started to receive television offers but rejected them outright, even though some of his peers, like his old flame Loretta Young , were flourishing in the new medium.

In 1955, he formed a production company with Jane Russell and her husband Bob Waterfield , and they produced The King and Four Queens , the stars one and only production. The stress of making the film took such a toll on his health that Gable decided not to produce again.

Well known for his pipe smoking, sustaining at least two bowlfuls a day. To this day he still has pipes named after him.

Originally the image of Gable as an outdoors man was an invention of the studios, designed to bolster his masculine screen image during the early 1930s. However, he soon discovered that he enjoyed hunting, shooting and fishing, so the image swiftly became the reality.

In order to expedite divorce from his second wife Ria so he could marry Carole Lombard , Gable paid his ex-wife a $500,000 settlement in 1939, nearly everything he had at the time.

Despite his rising popularity, Gable balked at playing gangsters and overtly callous characters, and was therefore very pleased to be cast in Red Dust (1932) , the film that set the seal on his stardom.

As a teenager his voice was very high-pitched, however with vocal training he was able to lower it over time. His voice later proved a major asset in his climb to fame.

Once named Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) as his favorite of his movies, despite the fact that he did not like his co-star Charles Laughton. He was also initially disappointed by the casting of Franchot Tone as Midshipman Byam since the two actors had been bitter rivals for the affections of Joan Crawford. However, during filming they became close friends.

He disliked his most famous film Gone with the Wind , which he regarded as "a womans picture.".

He liked westerns, and once expressed his regret that he didnt make more of them.

He was highly patriotic, a staunch anti-communist and a firm believer in military intervention. Among the political leaders he admired were President Dwight D. Eisenhower , Sir Winston Churchill and King George VI. Until John Wayne s stardom eclipsed Gables in the late 1940s, many Americans thought of Gable as THE American star.

Gable and then future wife Carole Lombard first met in late 1924 while working as extras on the set of Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) . They would make three films together as extras, Ben-Hur, The Johnstown Flood (1926) and The Plastic Age (1925) and star together in No Man of Her Own (1932) , but not become romantically attached until 1936.

On Easter weekend, 1935, Gable flew to Houston to give away step-daughter Jana in her marriage to Dr. Thomas Burke.

He separated from wife Maria (Ria) in October, 1935.

Met his second wife Ria when he was in a play. Her brother, Booth Franklin, brought her backstage and introduced them.

His two step-children from wife Ria were George Anna "Jana" (b. circa 1913) and Alfred Lucas (b. circa 1919).

In order to hide that she and Gable had an illegitimate child, fearing that it would ruin both of their careers, Loretta Young secretly gave birth to her daughter Judy Lewis pretending she was vacationing in Europe. When she returned to Hollywood, she claimed that Judy was adopted. Gable met Judy only once when she was a teenager.

His father always opposed his decision to become an actor, and even after Gable became a major star he still denounced acting as a "sissy" occupation. Gable became a Freemason in 1933 just to please his father. However, he showed no grief when his father died aged 78 from a heart attack on 4 August 1948, having outlived his three wives.

Died on the first birthday of his granddaughter, Maria.

In 1949 he served as a pallbearer at the funeral of director Victor Fleming , whom he considered something of a father figure.

Turned down Robert Mitchum s role in Home from the Hill .

He was so disappointed by the critical and commercial failure of Adventure that he did not agree to make another film until more than a year had passed. Fortunately, The Hucksters proved to be a success and his performance was acclaimed.

Although discharged from the US Army Air Force early in 1944, he refused to make another movie until the war had ended.

Watched very little television except boxing matches.

Had a fear of flying, and made all long journeys across America by train.

Grandfather of Kayley Gable.

He was already good friends with Hattie McDaniel prior to their making Gone with the Wind together, and wanted her to play the part of "Mammy", but it was her coming fully dressed and nailing the part that got her the coveted role. When it came time for the premiere on December 15, 1939, producer David O. Selznick attempted to bring along McDaniel. MGM advised him not to because of Georgias strict segregation laws, which would have prevented McDaniel from being at the same function, on an equal basis, with whites. Gable was so outraged he told MGM he would not attend the premiere unless she was allowed to attend, also. She eventually convinced him to attend without her.

In the late 1940s MGM wanted to cast him alongside Angela Lansbury in a drama to be called "Angels Flight" but Gable strongly disliked the storyline and the studio canceled the picture.

Grandfather of Clark Gable III.

Has appeared in five films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: It Happened One Night , Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) , San Francisco , Test Pilot and Gone with the Wind , and if confirmed his appearance in The Front Page the number goes to six films. Of those, It Happened One Night and Gone with the Wind are winners in the category.

He appeared in three Best Picture Academy Award winners, the first two of which were in consecutive years: It Happened One Night , Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Gone with the Wind . Wallis Clark also appeared in all three films.

Gable was a chain smoker by the time he was sixteen. He was known to smoke 3 or 4 packs of cigarettes a day as an adult.

He declined an offer to make a film with Errol Flynn , as Flynn was eight years younger than him.

He was the second husband of Carole Lombard while his Manhattan Melodrama co-star William Powell was her first husband.

Played the part of newspaper reporter in nine films, more than any other kind of role.

Recovering alcoholic Spencer Tracy tried to avoid Gable when he was trying to stay off drink, as Gable was always surrounded by alcohol.

He never wanted to do either of the two films that gave him his biggest recognition - It Happened One Night (loaned to Columbia by Louis B Mayer as punishment) which earned him an Oscar, and Gone With the Wind, which he never really liked even after it was completed, but earned him another Oscar nomination, but not the support of Metro, which was touting Robert Donat in Goodbye Mr Chips to give the film much needed box office strength.

Son of William (1870-1948) and Adelia (ne Herschelman) Gable (1869-1901). Both were born in the state of Pennsylvania.

Paternal grandson of Charles (1830-1898) and Nancy (ne Steinbrook) Gable (1837-1927). Both were born and raised in the state of Pennsylvania.

Paternal great grandson of Jacob (1792-1785) and Rebecca (ne McFadden) Steinbrook (1806-1877). Both were born and raised in the state of Pennsylvania.

Wore lifts to play Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind .

He co-starred in eight movies with Joan Crawford : Dance, Fools, Dance , Laughing Sinners , Possessed , Dancing Lady , Chained , Forsaking All Others , Love on the Run , and Strange Cargo . They also both appeared, uncredited, as extras in The Merry Widow (1925) and Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) .

The only reason they come to see me is that I know that life is great -,and they know I know it.

[on playing Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind (1939) ] I,discovered that Rhett was even harder to play than I had anticipated.

I bring to a role everything I am, was and hope to be.

Method actors are like hams.

If any child of mine becomes an actor I will turn in my grave.

["Miami News" article 1939 on public reaction to,Gone with the Wind (1939) ] Damn it. I never conceived of this.

They see me as an ordinary guy, like a construction worker or the guy,who delivers your piano.

[on The Misfits (1961) ] The title sums up this mess.

[What he wants on his tombstone] "He was lucky and he knew it".