Here’s the story of Clark Gable, a man who became an icon. You might know him as Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind," but his journey to becoming Hollywood royalty wasn’t easy. The original script for "Gone with the Wind" had him crying, and that didn’t sit well with Gable. Known as the "King of Hollywood" in the 1930s, he crafted a persona that was both dashing and masculine. But behind the scenes, his life was shaped by the women who loved him, and the challenges he faced growing up without a mother figure. As film historian Pierre Montiel tells Closer, "He married older women in the beginning because he never had a mother figure."
From Ohio to Hollywood: A Tough Childhood
Clark Gable was born in Ohio, but his early life was far from glamorous. His mother passed away when he was just an infant, leaving him in the care of his father, a tough, no-nonsense man who worked in the oil fields. "His father was not a warm person. Clark just tolerated him," explains Robert Matzen, author of Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3. As a child, Gable was shy, often retreating into the world of Shakespeare's sonnets. Despite his mechanical skills and love for hunting, his true passion lay in literature and music. This blend of ruggedness and sensitivity would later define his on-screen persona.
A Turning Point: Inheriting $300
At the age of 21, Clark inherited $300 from his mother’s side of the family. That money changed everything. It allowed him to leave Ohio and his father behind, setting off on a path that would lead him to Hollywood. On the West Coast, he met Josephine Dillon, a woman 14 years his senior who took him under her wing. "She took him under her wing," Montiel recounts. Josephine didn’t just mentor him; she transformed him. She had his teeth straightened, his hair cut, and designed a diet and exercise regimen to bulk up his scrawny frame. With better posture, the right clothes, and training to deepen his high-pitched voice, Gable began to look and sound like a leading man.
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A Marriage That Worked (for a While)
Josephine and Clark married in 1924. "It was a strange marriage, but it worked for a few years," Montiel notes. During this time, Gable found work as a film extra and on stage. But as the '20s went by, he drifted away from Josephine. His next marriage was to Maria Langham, a Texas socialite 17 years older than him. Maria gave him access to high society, teaching him how to socialize with the elite. "He learned how to socialize with that kind of crowd and became very well liked," Montiel shares. With Minna Wallis managing his career, MGM capitalized on his "lumberjack in evening wear" appeal, and it paid off. In 1931, he starred in Dance, Fools, Dance with Joan Crawford, and audiences went wild. "Never have we seen audiences work themselves into such enthusiasm," The Hollywood Reporter raved.
The Caveman Charm That Made Him a Star
Gable’s on-screen persona was rough around the edges, and that’s what made him so appealing. Scenes like the famous one in "Gone with the Wind" where Rhett carries Scarlett up the stairs added to his allure. "It played into fantasies of the time, to have a good-looking man give you the caveman treatment and then make love to you," Montiel explains. "It was something that no man had done before in movies. It helped Clark take Hollywood and the world by storm." But off-screen, Gable was known for his affairs. "He used women for his ego and his pleasure," Matzen says. That changed when he met Carole Lombard, a comic actress 14 years his junior.
Love That Changed Everything
Carole Lombard wasn’t just another conquest. They met on the set of No Man of Her Own in 1932 and became friends. Carole even gifted him a baked ham shaped like his face! Four years later, they reconnected at the Mayfair Ball, where they danced and talked the night away. "It is an extra dividend when you like the girl you’ve fallen in love with," Gable once said. They married in 1939, and their partnership was perfect. "She wasn’t afraid of him and would put him in his place. She also taught him how to be more down to earth," Montiel says. Carole even joined Clark on his adventures, becoming a skilled camper and hunter to please him.
Gone with the Wind and Beyond
Carole was the one who introduced Clark to Margaret Mitchell’s best-seller, Gone with the Wind. Despite his initial doubts, he took the role of Rhett Butler, cementing his legacy in Hollywood. After their marriage, they moved to a farm where they raised poultry. Clark continued acting, but Carole took fewer roles, hoping to start a family. Tragically, Carole died in a plane crash in 1942 while returning from a war bond tour. "It’s like he aged 10 years in one weekend," Matzen says. Gable returned to acting but never found the same joy. "It was a perfect thing," he said of his lost love. "I never expect[ed] to find it again." Eventually, he remarried twice but never forgot Carole. He was laid to rest beside her in 1960.
