William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an
American film actor, nicknamed "The King of Hollywood" in his heyday. In , the
American Film Institute named Gable seventh among the
greatest male stars of all time.
Gable's most famous role was
Rhett Butler in the
Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with
Vivien Leigh. His performance earned him his third nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Actor; he won for
It Happened One Night () and was also nominated for
Mutiny on the Bounty (). Later performances were in
Run Silent, Run Deep, a submarine war film, and his final film,
The Misfits (), which paired Gable with
Marilyn Monroe in her last screen appearance.
In his long film career, Gable appeared opposite some of the most popular actresses of the time.
Joan Crawford, who was his favorite actress to work with,
was partnered with Gable in eight films,
Myrna Loy was with him seven times, and he was paired with
Jean Harlow in six productions. He also starred with
Lana Turner in four features, and with
Norma Shearer in three. Gable was often named the top male star in the mid-30s, and was second only to the top box-office draw of all,
Shirley Temple.
