Clark Gable

William Clark Gable, one of Hollywood's most incredible actors was born on February 1,1901 in Cadiz, Ohio. He did initially have a difficult time getting Hollywood roles due to his big ears, but after signing with MGM and being cast with Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford his sex appeal and popularity increased.

Clark dropped out of high school and began working at a tire factory in Akron. After attending a play in Akron, Clark was so intrigued he decided to take up acting. In 1921 he joined a traveling theater company. The theater company went bankrupt leaving Gable alone in Montana. He hitchhiked to Oregon and joined another acting company where he met Josephine Dillon. She took Gabel under her wings, him acting lessons and paid to have his hair and eyebrows styled and his teeth fixed.

Gable worked as an extra in Hollywood and eventually appeared in the stage production of The Last Mile. Gable received a screen break in The Painted Desert in 1931; MGM offered him a contract and his career was off and running. Gable acted in Dance, Fools, Dance with Joan Crawford. His acting was a hit and he was often cast as a villain opposite leading starlets.

MGM handed Gable It Happened One Night just to appease the actor, but he won an Academy for his portrayal and became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Mutiny on the Bounty, Gone with the Wind, and Boomtown labeled Gable as King of Hollywood. "He was a symbol of masculinity admired by men and adored by women."

Gable was a ladies' man and he married five times. Carole Lombard was the love of his life, but she died in a plane crash. Her death caused Gable to enlist in the army. After his dismissal from the army he returned to Hollywood and filmed The Misfits with Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift. Two days after this film Gable suffered a heart attack and died on November 16, 1960.