112 Years Ago, Clark Gable Was Born2 photos

112 years ago, Clark Gable was born on February 1, 1901, in Cadice, Ohio, the son of an oil driller. He was the only child in his family. When he was less than a year old, his mother died, and he was raised by his stepmother, who had strict moral principles. At age 16, he left school to work in various jobs, including at a tire factory, a textile mill, and an olive orchard. Eventually, he found himself working in a traveling theater.

In 1924, he married the director of this theater, who was much older than him. Around the same time, he made his film debut, appearing in supporting roles in "Forbidden Paradise" and "The Merry Widow." Later, he mostly played gangsters, villains, and ruffians, but eventually he also took on roles of heroic lovers.

In 1931, he married for the second time. His reputation as a sex symbol grew, and he won an Oscar for his role in "It Happened One Night." In 1939, he starred alongside Vivien Leigh in "Gone with the Wind," where his charming demeanor made him a beloved hero among audiences. That same year, he married actress Carol Lombard, but her death in a plane crash in 1942 was a devastating blow to him. He joined a flight school and then served in the military during World War II. After the war, he continued acting, though his earlier success was not repeated.

The exception was his role in "The Outsiders," where he played a middle-aged cowboy struggling to find his place in life. Two weeks after the film's release, on November 16, 1960, Clark Gable died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, USA. Five months later, his only son, John Clark Gable, was born.