Biography of Clark Gable
Clark Gable is an actor who is called one of the pillars of “Old Hollywood”. The peak of his career occurred in the second half of the 30s and 40s of the 20th century. At this time, the films Gone with the Wind, Mutiny on the Bounty, and It Happened One Night, which were included in the golden fund of cinema, were released (for the role in which Gable was awarded an Oscar for Best Actor).
Handsome actor Clark Gable
These and many other works secured his status as a new hero, a handsome heartthrob and the most desirable man in the United States.
Childhood and family
William Clark Gable was born on February 1, 1901 in the small village of Cadiz in eastern Ohio. Six months later, his mother Adeline died of epilepsy. His father, William Henry Gable, a simple oil rig worker, took full care of his young son.
Clark Gable as a child
Soon he married Jenny Dunlap for the second time, who replaced the boy's mother. The stepmother was a woman of strict rules and raised her stepson in Protestant traditions, although at birth he was baptized in the Catholic Church. In addition, she instilled in little Clark neatness in everything: hairstyle, clothing and manners, and taught him to play the piano. A little later, he himself learned to play wind instruments and performed in the city men's ensemble, being its youngest member.
In turn, the father wanted Clark to learn “manly” things: he forced his son to fix the car together in the garage (the boy liked this activity), go hunting and do hard physical work. But Clark, a tall, shy boy with a sonorous voice, preferred to spend his time reading a book, and in the company of his best friends he could recite Shakespearean sonnets.
Clark Gable in his youth
One day, Gable Jr. persuaded his father to buy him a 72-volume collection of world classical literature - as he claimed, for study. However, according to his father, Clark never opened his gift.
When Clark turned 16, the family began to experience financial difficulties. To cover his growing debts, William decided to become a farmer. The family purchased a piece of land in Ravenna, Ohio. The head of the family wanted to involve his son in cultivating the farm, but he, not wanting to become a farmer, fled to Akron, where he got a job at a tire manufacturing plant.
Biography
Clark Gable is an American sex symbol of the late thirties and early forties of the twentieth century; film actor who went down in the history of the profession under the nickname “King of Hollywood.” The artist became the first performer of the leading male role in the film adaptation of the novel “Gone with the Wind”; he is also an Oscar winner and one of the most prominent representatives of the “Golden Age” of Hollywood cinema.
William Clark Gable was the only child of Adeline Herschelman and William Henry Gable. The boy was born in the city of Cadiz, Ohio on the first of February 1901. Clark's mother died of an epileptic seizure a few months after the birth of her son. Gable was raised by his father and his second wife, Jenny Dunlap. The stepmother studied music with Clark, thanks to which at the age of 13 the young man was accepted into the city orchestra.
Clark Gable as a child
As a child, the future actor was fond of the works of Shakespeare, which pleased Jenny and upset his father. William Henry Gable believed that his son was growing up to be a slob because he showed no interest in male activities such as hunting or sports. To please his father, Clark acquired knowledge about the structure of cars and became a good auto mechanic.
At the age of 16, due to financial difficulties in the family, Gable dropped out of school and began working in a factory that produced car tires. At the same age, the young man decided that he would make a good actor. Tall height (185 cm), dark hair, a charming smile and a squinted look - Gable considered these data suitable for the profession that interested him.
17 year old Clark Gable
In his youth, the future US sex symbol managed to work as a newspaper seller, stage hand, lumberjack and telephone line operator. Having tried himself as an actor, Gable realized that he would not get far on external data alone. At the age of 23, the young man married an experienced Broadway actress, who taught him the intricacies of the profession.
First steps to glory
One day in a bar, the young man met actors from a local theater troupe, who invited him to the play “Bird of Paradise.” When he saw the performance, he was amazed by what he saw and wanted to become an artist himself.
Clark Gable and his first wife Josephine Dillon
During this time, his adoptive mother died and his father returned to the oil business. Clark began working for him: looking for potential buyers and keeping an eye on the horses. In addition, he found work in a second-rate theater, where he did minor auxiliary work: rearranging the scenery, inviting actors to the stage. Occasionally he was entrusted with playing tiny roles like “The food is served.”
His life was radically changed by a meeting with the influential actress Josephine Dillon, the founder of her own theater in Portland. An incident helped Clark get to know her: he was working part-time in a repair shop, which was located opposite Dillon’s house, and her phone just broke down.
Knowing perfectly well who his client was, Gable used all his charm, and the socialite, despite the 17-year age difference, fell in love with the charismatic young man. Moreover, she saw promising acting potential in him and took him under her wing.
Young Clark Gable was able to transform himself with the support of his first wife
She paid dentists to transform the guy's smile to Hollywood standards and took him to a stylist, where Clark's wild mane was trimmed and styled. The woman became his personal trainer, and gradually Gable’s skinny body from constant malnutrition acquired muscles. Dillon took her protégé to see performing arts teachers and speech therapists. She finally decided that Clark was ready for a career in Hollywood.
In 1924, they married and moved together to Los Angeles, where completely new prospects opened up for Gable. It was during this period that he changed his stage name from “W.K. Gable" to "Clark Gable".
Aspiring actor Clark Gable
Clark Gable's first role in Hollywood was the silent film "White Man", followed by work in the silent films "Place" and a number of others.
The wife tried in every possible way to promote her lover’s career: she got him a job at the Laskin Brothers Theater in Texas, although its troupe, as a rule, did not accept beginning actors. On its stage he played the 1927/28 theater season and became something of a local idol among theatergoers.
Clark Gable dances Then Dillon patronized him, thanks to which he was accepted into the cast of the Broadway production of Mechanical. “Young, energetic and undeniably courageous,” theater critics wrote about Gable’s role. The next Broadway production with his participation, “The Last Mile,” brought Clark the attention of film producers and a contract with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio.
Hollywood heartthrob
Clark Gable has always been known as a Hollywood heartthrob. No one could resist his bewitching gaze, sense of humor and charm. Clark was married five times; at the time of filming The Call of the Wild, he was married to Maria Franklin, who was 17 years older than the actor.
With his masculine charm, Gable conquered young Loretta. “Sweet, kind and very gentle,” is how the actress describes Gable in her memoirs. She couldn't resist him and gave in to temptation. Many accuse Clark of cheating on his wife, taking advantage of Loretta, and then leaving the girl after learning about her pregnancy, and did not take any steps to help her with the child. However, the accusations against Clark are unfair, because at that time it was not so easy for actors to admit their actions - in the contracts that studios entered into with actors, a mandatory condition was compliance with ethical and moral principles, in case of violation of which the contract was terminated, and the actors were left with nothing. how.
Moreover, judging by the memoirs of Loretta herself, upon learning that she was expecting a child, Clark left his wife and tried to meet with the actress, but she rejected him because she was afraid that they might find out about their affair.
Sometimes we wear a bra incorrectly: ways that are harmful to health
The newlyweds traveled all over the world and took wedding photos in every country
Paralympian Talay without arms and legs: “the harder the fight, the greater the victory”
Film career
In the late 20s, sound came to American cinema, and the actor’s well-produced voice made him in great demand among directors.
In a short time, Gable became a favorite of women and a sex symbol in Hollywood; roles fell on him like from a cornucopia. It is noteworthy that as soon as the wave of success hit the young actor, he filed for divorce from Dillon and less than a week later entered into a new marriage.
Clark Gable - Hollywood sex symbol of the 40s
Until 1934, Gable played mostly scoundrels and scoundrels, albeit smoothed over by his signature charm. But in the film “It Happened One Night” he got a positive hero - the brave reporter Peter, who, in search of a sensation, decided to hit on a runaway millionaire. The film received 5 Oscar statuettes, one of which was awarded to the role of Gable. Accepting the award, he said a laconic: “Thank you” and returned to the auditorium. Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind (1939) Subsequently, Oscar nominations brought him roles in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Gone with the Wind (1939). The first film added to his filmography the role of the rebellious aristocratic sailor Christian Fletcher. “Sometimes he lacks aristocratic polish, but his absolute reliability and unquestionable masculinity make him a recognized King,” such reviews were found in the critics’ column of leading publications after the film’s premiere.
The second, the cult color melodrama “Gone with the Wind” with the beautiful Vivien Leigh, completely elevated the actor who portrayed Rhett Butler on the screen to the firmament. For this work, Clark Gable received a fee unprecedented at that time - $120 thousand. However, the Oscar nomination for Butler’s role was not crowned with victory - the statuette went to Robert Donat for his role in the film “Goodbye Mr. Chips.”
Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh
In the 50s, the age of “old glamor” began to decline, but the actor’s career did not: in 1958 he played one of his most memorable roles in the film “Teacher’s Pet” (editor and journalist James Gannon), in 1959 together with Sophia Loren appeared in the tragicomedy “It Started in Naples”,
What does Clark Gable have in common with his screen hero Rhett Butler? A man is not for one woman
In the 30s of the twentieth century, a lop-eared man suddenly appeared in Hollywood, with a small brush of mustache above his upper lip and a bewitching smile. He immediately became the conqueror of women's hearts, the number one man for many American women. For 30 years, he proudly bore the title of screen sex symbol and king of Hollywood. This man's name is Clark Gable .
On February 1, 1901, Clark was born in Ohio. His mother died when he was only 7 months old. The father did not bother himself with raising his son; he was an oil worker and constantly went on business trips. The child was raised by his stepmother, who tried in vain to instill religiosity in the boy.
Clark went to work at the age of 14, with a factory and an oil well behind him. But by the age of 16, he realized that what attracted him most was the stage and theater. His father was categorically against such a profession, as he considered it unworthy of a real man. Therefore, Gable ran away from home with one of the theater troupes, the leader of which was actress Josephine Dylan . Despite the fact that she was 17 years older than Clark, they began an affair. The woman in love did everything to pave the way for her lover on stage. However, Gable turned out to be ungrateful and the day after his first premiere he ran away from his beloved wife.
His next wife was an equally influential woman, Rea Lengam. This was also a marriage purely of convenience. Clark gave the no longer young Rhea the love and attention she needed, and in return received money and lessons in good manners. All this helped him continue his participation in theatrical activities, and after the production of “The Last Mile,” influential people noticed Clark and opened the way for him to Hollywood.
Gable's first screen images were gangsters and villains. They did not bring him the success he wanted. He was able to prove himself only when cinema needed a new image of a romantic hero. It was here that Clark Gable showed himself. His captivating gaze and cynical, barely noticeable smile from under the thin line of his mustache turned out to be just the thing. He immediately won the hearts of the ladies and gained the respect of men. Because, despite his attractiveness, he remained a simple guy who loved hunting and fishing.
Clark Gable had about 90 roles. But, undoubtedly, his role as Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind brought him real fame. There he played practically himself, a man who was surrounded by female attention and took advantage of it, but deep down he loved only one. This one was Carole Lombard . He met her after his magnificent triumph.
Despite the fact that Clark had affairs with almost all the actresses with whom he had to play, he did not have an affair with Vivien Leigh (who played his beloved Scarlett O'Hara). During filming, she was passionate about another man, and he was burdened by a divorce from his second wife, so they remained just good friends.
His third wife and only beloved woman in his life was Carole Lombard. This was a completely extraordinary couple. She is an eccentric person, not averse to using obscene or vulgar expressions, and he is calm and balanced. No wonder they say that opposites attract. And perhaps they would have loved each other until old age, but, having gone on business with one of the campaigns, Carol was in such a hurry to return to her beloved husband that she decided to fly by plane. This predetermined her fate: the plane crashed into a mountain and crashed.
Upon learning of the death of his beloved woman, Clark Gable was inconsolable, started drinking, and went to the front. He served in aviation, although since childhood he was afraid of heights, and the death of his wife only worsened his fear. Returning from the front, he again began acting in films, but the films no longer brought the same success. He was again given the roles of gangsters and cowboys. His career cycle has closed, he has come to where he once started.
After Clark recovered somewhat from his great loss, he married again, but this marriage lasted just over a year. Then came the 5th marriage. The new Mrs. Gable was Kay Spreckels . She tried in everything to be like Carol, still loved by Clark. With Kay, Gable found calm family happiness.
All his life, Clark dreamed of hearing the heartbeat of his baby (none of his wives gave him a child). But, unfortunately, his dream never came true. Clark Gable died at the age of 59 from a heart attack, four months before the birth of his long-awaited first child, John. The young wife fulfilled the last wish of her beloved: Clark Gable was buried with his beloved wife Carole Lombard.
Tags: Hollywood, biographies, actors, cinema, Clark Gable
Personal life of Clark Gable
A huge number of representatives of the fair sex dreamed of being in the arms of a handsome actor, and Gable willingly used his magical influence on women.
During his life, he was married five times, but history is silent about the exact number of girls who were in his bed. His first marriage to actress Josephine Dillon, which lasted six years, was more like a mutually beneficial union. The 36-year-old woman was flattered by the attention of her young lover, fourteen years her junior, and with her help Clark managed to pave the way to Hollywood.
Clark Gable and his second wife Maria Langerem
A few days after his divorce from Dillon, Gable married obscenely wealthy socialite Maria Langerham. The second wife was three years older than the previous one. She helped the actor break into Broadway and gain a foothold in New York theater circles.
While working on The Call of the Wild (1935), Clark, while still married to Langerham, hit on the female lead, Loretta Young. The girl became pregnant, and in November of the same year, baby Judith was born.
Clark Gable and Loretta Young
In 1943, Loretta's cousin told the press that there was no affair between Gable and Young: the actor simply raped his partner who was flirting with him on the set.
Gable did not take part in raising his daughter; the girl did not know who her real father was. He visited Judith's mother once when she was 15, but even then her parents did not tell her the truth about paternity. Only after Gable's death did she learn the name of her biological father.
Loretta Young and Clark Gable's daughter Judith
Gable's numerous affairs failed to destroy his marriage to Langer. Clark did it himself, falling in love with actress Carole Lombard. Gable paid his wife considerable compensation in order to obtain consent to the divorce. The third wife, according to the actor himself, became the main woman in his life. Unfortunately, their happiness did not last long - Carol died in a plane crash.
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard
After her death, a grief-stricken Clark went to the front, wanting to give up his life as quickly as possible, but fate decreed otherwise. Returning from the war safe and sound, he soon married again. This time his chosen one was the young actress Sylvia Ashley.
Gable was never able to forget Carol and constantly remembered his late wife, thereby causing pain and suffering to Sylvia. Three years later they separated.
Clark Gable and his wife Kay Williams with his son
In 1955, the actor married actress Kay Williams, who looked very much like the deceased Carol. In 1961, she gave birth to Clark’s only son, Jack Gable, but at that time the great actor had already been in the next world for 4 months.
Personal life, love, family, children
Early in his life, while working in Astoria, Oregon, William Gable met and fell in love with a dark-haired young actress named Franz Dorfler. Their relationship was not bad, but Franz's parents insisted that she marry a little-known actor. She eventually encouraged Gable to contact Broadway actress Josephine Dillon. Their relationship developed rapidly and in December 1924, Gable and Josephine were engaged. Despite this, Gable always maintained that the marriage was never consummated. Meanwhile, Franz Dorfler continued to love Gable and did not start a new relationship, although she understood that they could never be together.
Gable was a womanizer, a serial seducer, and ruthlessly exploited his attractiveness to women, especially older women who held powerful positions on Broadway and Hollywood, to get to the top.
By the end of the decade, his marriage to Josephine was crumbling. He had made it big on Broadway, but not in Hollywood, and needed help fulfilling his ambitions. Again he found an older and richer woman. In 1930, he divorced Josephine and married Texas lady Ria Franklin Prentiss Lucas Langham. He frankly explained to Josephine that he wanted to marry Ria Langham because she would help him become popular and make more money. And so it happened... After which he calmly broke off relations with Riya. Between 1931 and 1937 he had relationships with: Loretta Young, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Marion Davies. Loretta Young, for example, was one of Hollywood's most famous stars, a two-time Oscar winner and a strict Catholic. When she became pregnant with Gable's child in 1935, an elaborate ruse was devised to circumvent the strict moral codes that would end her and Gable's careers. She continued her "vacation" with her mother to secretly give birth to the child. As a result, Gable simply received an unsigned telegram in which it was written that the birth was successful and a blond girl was born. Upon her return, Loretta announced that she had adopted a little girl, who was named Judy Lewis, taking the last name of Loretta's second husband. Judy did not know who her real dad was, and all her life Gable did not recognize her as his daughter.
After ending his relationship with Loretta, Gable started a new romance with Hollywood actress Carole Lombard. They dated for 3 years, and in 1939 they legalized their relationship. Everything was wonderful and it was the most wonderful period of his life. Money, fame, good relationship with my wife.
In January 1942, the plane carrying Carole Lombard crashed into a mountain near Las Vegas. Everyone on board died, including Lombard and her mother. Gable was injured, but returned to their shared home, where he continued to live for the rest of his life.
Gable's fourth marriage was the most unsuccessful. Lady Sylvia Ashley was an English actress and model and had been married three times previously. They met at a party in 1949 and divorced in 1952.
In July 1955, he married former girlfriend Kathleen Williams Spikes, who had previously been married, and became the stepfather of two children. He was more content than ever since Carole Lombard died.
Last years of life and death
Clark Gable's last role was Guy Langland in the adventure drama The Misfits (released in 1961). Starring Marilyn Monroe. Gable was very happy that filming was over: “I’m happy that filming is over. She [Monroe] gave me a heart attack!”
Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe
The next day, the actor was hospitalized with a heart attack and died 11 days later. Doctors named the official cause of Clark Gable's death as myocardial infarction. Kay William, in accordance with her husband's last will, buried him next to the body of Carolyn Lombard.
Clark Gable's cause of death was heart attack.
The unrecognized child of famous actors
Trying to hide the pregnancy, Loretta and her mother left for Europe. The actress returned to the United States on the eve of giving birth and settled in a small house in west Los Angeles. The woman hid from reporters, did not agree to any contracts, she literally locked herself in the house and did not go out anywhere. Newspapers even began to write that the famous actress was dying.
In November 1935, Loretta gave birth to a blond, blue-eyed girl named Judith. A couple of months after giving birth, the baby was sent to a shelter, and Loretta returned to filming, denying the rumor about her serious illness. The actress visited her daughter a couple of times a week and finally took her from the orphanage when the baby was two years old. At the same time, the woman, in an attempt to deceive journalists, adopted two girls - Judith and another three-year-old baby, whom the actress abandoned a month later, since her own mother decided to take the girl.
From athletes to Hollywood stars: men Naomi Campbell
The star of the series “Sultan of My Heart” spoke about the choice of his future wife
Seven daily habits of happy people
At the time Loretta adopted Judith, she was already married to Tom Lewis, who gave the girl his last name. For a long time, the girl did not know who her real parents were. Outwardly, Judith was very similar to Loretta and Clark Gable. Because of her large ears, which were exactly like the actor’s, she was often attacked by her peers, who nicknamed her Dumbo. To hide such a clear resemblance to her father, and Clark’s big ears became famous throughout Hollywood, Loretta pulled a tight hat over the girl’s ears, and when the baby was 7 years old, she had surgery, thereby reducing the size of her ears.
Loretta later gave birth to two sons, and Judith began to feel unwanted and lonely. Like any adopted child, the girl repeatedly asked her mother about her biological parents, but never received a straight answer. With age, Judith's resemblance to Loretta became so obvious that only a blind person could believe that the girl was adopted. And Judith herself began to see a lot of dark spots in the story of her adoption and began to suspect that she was being deceived.
A broken nail is no problem: tips for treating nails at home
Smooth armpits without shaving: ways to remove hair using conventional products
Only on a soft spot: Russian Domostroy forbade punishing children in any other way
Descendants
Clark Gable has a granddaughter and grandson: Kylie Gable (born 1986) and Clark James Gable (born 1988). Kylie continued her acting dynasty, but not very successfully. It was her friendship with the scandalous socialite Paris Hilton that brought her fame: their drunken antics often appeared on the pages of gossip columns. In January 2020, she gave birth to a son, who was named Clark - in honor of the famous great-grandfather.
Clark Gable's humble grave
As for Clark Gable's grandson, he became famous as the TV host of the reality show Cheaters. He also owns a men's fashion boutique and has launched his own line of surfer clothing. In September 2020, he became a father for the first time - his daughter Shor was born.
In the photo: granddaughter and grandson of Clark Gable
Children
Clark Gable had two children. Judy's first illegitimate daughter was born in 1935 to actress Loretta Young in the strictest secrecy. She died of cancer on November 25, 2011. At the time of her death, she had a daughter, Maria, and two grandchildren.[14] Gable never officially recognized his daughter and saw her only once, Young similarly never advertised his paternity, and Judith learned the truth about her father only after Gable’s death. The paternity itself was only made public after Young's death.
Clark Gable never saw his second child, John Clark Gable: the boy was born on March 20, 1961 after the death of the actor from his last wife Kay Williams. John Clark had two children: daughter Kaylee Gable (born 1986) and son Clark James Gable (September 20, 1988 – February 22, 2019). Kaley is an actress, Clark James is a TV presenter and model.
In 1940, the actor's wife, Carole Lombard, discovered that she was pregnant. She wanted to break the news to Gable on their first wedding anniversary, but shortly before that she suffered a miscarriage. Her unsuccessful pregnancy became known only after his death.
