John Clark Gable: The Man Behind the Name
Born John Clark Gable in Springfield, Massachusetts on September 9, 1923, John Clark Gable was the first child of Elma and Carl Gable, who would go on to become an actor of some renown himself, appearing in such films as It Happened One Night and Gone with the Wind. His parents had been unable to have children for almost ten years prior to his birth, leading them to become extremely attached to their son and very protective over him throughout his childhood. When he reached his teenage years, he began developing an interest in photography, eventually receiving a degree from the Art Institute of Chicago at the age of 18.
Introduction
John Clark Gable is an American film director and screenwriter who has garnered recognition for his work on various popular sitcoms. Having written and directed episodes of shows such as Mad About You, Roseanne, and Last Man Standing, John Clark Gable has become a household name. John was born in 1931 to actor parents Mary Astor and Walter Huston. As he grew up, John acted alongside his family members in many films such as Sons of Liberty and A Guy Named Joe.
It would be a while before John found success behind the camera. After graduating from Harvard University with a degree in English literature, he taught at various universities before settling down to pursue his dream career as a writer/director with MGM Television’s Mad About You show in 1989.
Early Life and Training
John Clark Gable was born in 1939 in Calaveras County, California, to Arthur and Elva (Clark) Gable. He enrolled at Columbia University’s Business School but dropped out after one semester. His first job as a commercial artist for an advertising company in New York City lasted three years. In 1963 he began working for Ayer and then joined Saatchi & Saatchi six years later, where he became Worldwide Creative Director of their London office. It was during this time that he changed his name from John Clarke to John Clark Gable.
Start as an Actor
John Clark Gable was born in Santa Monica, California. His parents, John and Adele (Clark) Gable divorced when he was two years old. He spent his childhood in Ohio with his mother and stepfather before returning to California when he was nine years old to live with his father.
John Clark Gable became an actor after school at a time when Hollywood was transitioning from silent films to talking movies.
He went on to star in over 30 films including Gone With the Wind and It Happened One Night.
John Clark Gable married five times, twice to actress Carole Lombard, and had one child with actress Kay Williams. He died of a heart attack at age 60 while filming The Misfits.
Bodybuilding Fame
John Clark Gable is a bodybuilding icon. He is known for being a pioneer in the field of fitness and bodybuilding, as well as for his contribution to Muscle & Fitness magazine. He was born on December 31, 1940 in Middletown, Ohio and graduated from Butler University in 1962 with a degree in Business Administration. After graduation he continued to work at Butler University until 1967 when he was hired by Weider Publications to work on their new health and fitness publication called Muscle & Fitness. In 1971 he became editor-in-chief of Muscle & Fitness which led him to publish over 100 issues of this magazine.
Bigger Than Life Fame
John Clark Gable was born in 1906 to a wealthy family. John’s father, George, was a business owner and his mother, Viola, had been a stage actress. John was named after one of his father’s best friends who had passed away before he was born.
John started working as an actor on Broadway at 17 years old and soon became popular among theater-goers. In 1930, he joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and starred in many films such as Mutiny on the Bounty and It Happened One Night which won him an Oscar for Best Actor.
He continued his career until 1956 when he retired from acting to focus on directing movies at MGM. Later that year he died of a heart attack at the age of 60.
Film Career
Gable’s first major role was in Red Dust (1932) as a cattle baron’s son who falls in love with a woman of lower social status played by Jean Harlow. The movie was controversial, and it led to a contract with MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer. Over the next few years, Gable would star in movies such as Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) opposite Charles Laughton and Clark Gable’s first romantic lead in No More Ladies (1935). After his success with It Happened One Night (1934), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, he would become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Personal Life
John Clark Gable’s childhood was punctuated with a difficult relationship between his parents, which he later described as one of those marriages where there was a lot of arguing and not a whole lot of talking. They divorced when he was in high school. Though John went to live with his father, who had remarried, he remained close to both parents throughout his life. As an adult, John married twice and fathered two children before becoming a widower.
Final Years and Death
John Clark Gable was a well-known actor who passed away on July 12, 1966. He is most famously known for his performance in Gone with the Wind, which won him an Academy Award and Golden Globe award. After his passing, he was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. His final years were difficult as he battled with alcoholism and illness before ultimately dying of lung cancer at age 61.