You’ve probably heard the name Clark Gable at least once, whether in a film studies class, a Turner Classic Movies marathon, or a trivia night. But there’s a lot more to his story than that famous line from Gone with the Wind. This Clark Gable wiki covers everything — his childhood, how he clawed his way into Hollywood, his five marriages, his military service, and exactly why people are still searching his name more than 60 years after his death.
Background: Who Was Clark Gable?
Clark Gable wasn’t born into stardom. He grew up in small-town Ohio, lost his mother before he was a year old, and dropped out of high school at 16 to work in a tire factory. Nobody watching that kid punch a time card would have guessed he’d one day be called the King of Hollywood by the entire film industry.
Gable spent years doing odd jobs and touring with small theater companies before landing his first significant film role. He was rejected early in his career partly because a studio exec reportedly thought his ears were too big for the camera. MGM eventually signed him, and within a few years he was one of the most bankable stars on the planet. His screen presence — part charm, part roughness — was unlike anything audiences had seen in the polished era of early talkies.
His most iconic role, Rhett Butler in the 1939 epic Gone with the Wind, cemented his place in cinema history. But that film was just one chapter in a career spanning 37 years and more than 60 movies.
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Full Profile
| Full Name | William Clark Gable |
| Date of Birth | February 1, 1901 |
| Place of Birth | Cadiz, Ohio, USA |
| Date of Death | November 16, 1960 |
| Age at Death | 59 years old |
| Cause of Death | Coronary thrombosis (heart attack) |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | Approximately 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Net Worth (at death) | ~$10 million (equivalent to ~$100 million today, adjusted for inflation) |
| Profession | Actor |
| Years Active | 1924–1961 |
| Hometown | Cadiz, Ohio |
| Religion | Not publicly documented or confirmed |
| Official Social Link | Clark Gable on IMDb |
Family and Early Life
Clark Gable was born William Clark Gable on February 1, 1901, to William Henry Gable, an oil-well driller and farmer, and Adeline Hershelman. His mother died when he was just seven months old. His father, struggling to cope, sent young Clark to live with relatives in Pennsylvania for a couple of years before bringing him back to Cadiz, Ohio, where he remarried. His stepmother, Jennie Dunlap, taught him piano and encouraged him to be well-groomed and presentable — a sharp contrast to the rough, outdoorsy life his father preferred.
The family eventually moved to a farm near Akron, Ohio, and after Jennie’s death in 1920, Clark’s father relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they worked briefly in the oil industry. It was around this time that Clark struck out on his own, heading to the Pacific Northwest and falling in with a traveling theater company after watching a stage performance that sparked something in him he couldn’t ignore.
Career Path
Gable’s early theater days were scrappy. He worked for free, took whatever role came up, and slowly built a skill set under the mentorship of theater manager Josephine Dillon, who later became his first wife. When he eventually arrived in Hollywood, the silent film era was ending. He got a small role in a 1924 silent film but didn’t make real progress until the early 1930s.
Fun Fact: A studio executive famously passed on Gable early in his Hollywood career, claiming his ears were too large for close-ups. MGM saw things differently — and history proved which side was right.
Once MGM signed him, things moved fast. He appeared opposite Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford, and audiences responded. His aggressive, unapologetically masculine energy felt fresh. By 1931, he was a legitimate star. In 1934, Frank Capra cast him alongside Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night, and Gable won the Academy Award for Best Actor — reportedly so surprising to him that he didn’t even expect to win.
| Year | Film | Notable Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 1934 | It Happened One Night | Won Academy Award for Best Actor |
| 1935 | Mutiny on the Bounty | Oscar nomination for Best Actor |
| 1939 | Gone with the Wind | Oscar nomination; film won Best Picture |
| 1953 | Mogambo | Career revival; co-starred with Grace Kelly |
| 1961 | The Misfits | Final film; released posthumously |
The role of Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind is the one most people associate with him. Ironically, Gable initially refused the part. He’d flopped in a previous costume drama and had no interest in trying again. Public demand and studio pressure eventually changed his mind. The film became one of the highest-grossing productions in cinema history, and Gable’s performance — wry, confident, effortlessly cool — was a large part of why. His delivery of the line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” became arguably the most quoted movie line of the 20th century.
When his third wife, Carole Lombard, died in a 1942 plane crash, Gable was devastated. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force and flew actual combat missions over Europe during World War II — not a PR exercise, but real service. He came back from the war changed, and his later career had a quieter, more weathered quality to it.
The American Film Institute ranked him the 7th greatest male screen legend of all time. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, the same year he died.
Age
Clark Gable was 59 years old when he died on November 16, 1960, just months after completing The Misfits. His death came from a coronary thrombosis — a type of heart attack. He had been born on February 1, 1901.
Religion
Gable’s religious beliefs were not publicly documented during his lifetime, and no reliable source has confirmed a specific faith affiliation. This detail remains unverified.
Spouse / Partner
Gable was married five times. His first wife was Josephine Dillon (1924–1930), his drama coach and the woman who shaped his early acting technique. His second marriage was to socialite Maria “Ria” Langham (1931–1939). During that marriage, he had an affair with actress Loretta Young, which resulted in a daughter, Judy Lewis — a fact Young kept secret for decades. His third wife, Carole Lombard (1939–1942), was widely considered the great love of his life. She died in a plane crash in January 1942. He later married Lady Sylvia Ashley (1949–1952) and finally Kay Williams Spreckels (1955), who was his wife at the time of his death.
Net Worth
At the time of his death in 1960, Gable’s estate was valued at approximately $10 million. When adjusted for inflation, that figure is equivalent to roughly $100 million in today’s money, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He built his wealth entirely through acting across a 37-year career at a time when major studio contracts paid top stars very well.
Parents
His father was William Henry Gable, a farmer and oil driller. His biological mother, Adeline Hershelman Gable, died when Clark was less than a year old. His stepmother, Jennie Dunlap, played a significant role in his early upbringing before her own death in 1920.
Height
Clark Gable stood approximately 6 feet 1 inch tall, or around 185 centimeters. This was considered notably tall for leading men of his era, and it contributed to his commanding on-screen presence.
Education
Gable left high school at age 16 and there’s no verified record of him completing any formal education beyond that. His “training” was entirely practical — working in theater companies, taking on roles wherever he could find them, and learning directly from coaches like Josephine Dillon.
Hometown / State of Origin
Clark Gable was born and raised in Cadiz, a small town in Harrison County, Ohio. The town still honors his legacy — there’s a Clark Gable Foundation museum there, and the house he was born in is a registered historic landmark.
Reader Questions (FAQ)
What is Clark Gable best known for?
Clark Gable is best known for playing Rhett Butler in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, one of the most commercially successful movies ever made. He’s also remembered for winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in It Happened One Night in 1934, and for being officially dubbed the “King of Hollywood” during the peak of his career in the 1930s.
How many times was Clark Gable married?
Clark Gable was married five times. His wives were Josephine Dillon, Maria Langham, Carole Lombard, Lady Sylvia Ashley, and Kay Williams Spreckels. Carole Lombard, his third wife, is widely considered to have been the love of his life. She died in a plane crash in January 1942, which hit Gable very hard and prompted him to enlist in the military.
Did Clark Gable have children?
Gable had two known children. Judy Lewis was born on November 6, 1935, from an affair with actress Loretta Young, though Gable never publicly acknowledged her as his daughter during his lifetime. His son, John Clark Gable, was born on March 20, 1961 — four months after Gable’s death — to his fifth wife, Kay Williams.
What did Clark Gable die from?
Clark Gable died on November 16, 1960, from a coronary thrombosis, which is a blockage in one of the arteries supplying blood to the heart. He was 59 years old. He had recently finished filming The Misfits, which required physically demanding work in the Nevada desert heat, and it’s widely believed the strain contributed to his health decline.
Did Clark Gable serve in World War II?
Yes, and it wasn’t ceremonial. After Carole Lombard’s death in 1942, Gable enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force and flew combat missions over Europe as a gunner and observer. He reached the rank of Major and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. He was off Hollywood screens for about three years during his service.
What was Clark Gable’s net worth when he died?
At the time of his death in 1960, Gable’s estate was valued at approximately $10 million. Adjusted for inflation, that’s roughly equivalent to $100 million in today’s money. His wealth came entirely from his long acting career, with major contracts at MGM accounting for the bulk of his earnings.
Why was Clark Gable called the King of Hollywood?
The title came about in the early 1930s when a magazine ran a reader poll asking who was the biggest star in Hollywood, and Gable won by a significant margin. The nickname stuck and became an unofficial title recognized throughout the industry. His combination of rugged looks, natural confidence, and box-office reliability made him the defining male star of his era.
Where was Clark Gable born?
Clark Gable was born in Cadiz, Ohio, on February 1, 1901. It’s a small town in eastern Ohio that has since embraced his legacy — there’s a dedicated foundation and museum in his honor there. His birthplace is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wrap-Up
Clark Gable’s story holds up because it’s genuinely unlikely. A kid from small-town Ohio with no formal education, no family connections in the film world, and ears a studio executive once called a liability — that person becoming the uncontested king of the most glamorous industry on earth is the kind of arc that still resonates. His success wasn’t handed to him, and the decade he spent grinding through theater companies before Hollywood took him seriously is easy to forget when all you see are the polished MGM portraits.
What’s also worth understanding is how much of himself he put into that career — and into real life beyond the screen. He didn’t just play soldiers on film; he actually flew combat missions when his country was at war and his heart was broken. He made films until just weeks before his death. His final movie, The Misfits, came out after he was already gone, which gives it an unusual kind of weight.
Whether you’re here because you caught a classic film on a Sunday afternoon, because a teacher mentioned him, or because you’re genuinely curious about the Golden Age of Hollywood — Clark Gable’s life is worth knowing in full. He wasn’t just a screen idol. He was, by most accounts, the real thing.
John Wood is the founder and lead editor of Biography Region. He researches and writes accurate, engaging biographies of celebrities, entrepreneurs, influencers, and public figures, delivering well-sourced, reader-focused content that informs and inspires.