On This Day

Birthday of Clark Gable

February 1st 1901

12:51 1 February 2024

American actor Clark Gable was born on this day in 1901. After arriving in Hollywood in the 1920s, Gable struggled for years to get a break, making ends meet working as an extra before progressing to supporting roles. His breakthrough came when Joan Crawford requested he star opposite her in 'Dance, Fools, Dance' (1931). It was his next role, opposite Jean Harlow, in 'Red Dust' (1932) that turned him into one of Hollywood's biggest stars. For his performance in Frank Capra's 'It Happened One Night' (1934) he won the Best Actor Academy Award and he went on to star in a string of hit movies throughout the next decade including 'Manhattan Melodrama' (1934), 'Mutiny on the Bounty' (1935), 'San Francisco' (1936), 'Saratoga' (1937), 'Test Pilot' (1938) and 'Boom Town' (1940).

Gable's most celebrated role was playing Rhett Butler in 'Gone with the Wind' (1939) for which he received his third Best Actor Oscar nomination. Following two years military service during World War II, he returned to Hollywood and resumed his career in movies that were commercially successful but not always well received critically such as 'The Hucksters' (1947), 'Homecoming' (1948) and 'Mogambo' (1953).

He continued to be a major box-office draw for the remainder of his career in popular movies including 'Run Silent, Run Deep' (1958), 'Teacher's Pet' (1958) and 'It Started in Naples' (1960). His last film was John Huston's 'The Misfits' (1961) where he starred opposite Montgomery Clift and Marilyn Monroe in what was also her last movie. His portrayal of an aging cowboy is considered by many to be his finest. Clark Gable passed away in November 1960 but is still remembered as "The King of Hollywood".