Carole Lombard, born Jane Alice Peters on October 6, 1908, was a renowned American film actress, particularly notable for her high-energy, unconventional roles in screwball comedies of the 1930s. She held the distinction of being the highest-paid star in Hollywood during the late 1930s and was the third wife of the legendary actor Clark Gable.
Born into a wealthy family in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Lombard was raised in Los Angeles by her single mother. At the tender age of 12, she was discovered by film director Allan Dwan and made her screen debut in the 1921 film A Perfect Crime. Eager to pursue a career in acting, she signed a contract with the Fox Film Corporation at 16, but initially played minor roles.
After being dropped by Fox following a car accident that left a scar on her face, Lombard appeared in 15 short comedies for Mack Sennett between 1927 and 1929. She then began starring in feature films, including High Voltage and The Racketeer. Her breakthrough came with the 1930 film The Arizona Kid, which led to a contract with Paramount Pictures.
At Paramount, Lombard was cast as a leading lady, primarily in drama films. Her profile increased significantly after her marriage to William Powell in 1931, although the couple divorced two years later. A turning point in Lombard's career came when she starred in Howard Hawks' pioneering screwball comedy Twentieth Century (1934). She found her niche in this genre and continued to appear in films such as Hands Across the Table (1935),My Man Godfrey (1936),and Nothing Sacred (1937).
Lombard's marriage to Clark Gable, often referred to as "the King of Hollywood," garnered significant media attention. In the late 1930s, she began to move towards more serious roles, aiming to win an Academy Award. Although she was unsuccessful in this endeavor, she returned to comedy in Alfred Hitchcock's Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) and Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942),which would be her final film role.
Tragically, Lombard's life was cut short when she died at the age of 33 in an airplane crash on Mount Potosi, Nevada, while returning from a war bond tour. Today, she is remembered as one of the definitive actresses of the screwball comedy genre and American comedy, and is ranked among the American Film Institute's greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema.
