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Carole Lombard
Actor

Carole Lombard

6 Oct 1908Born
16 Jan 1942Died
33Age at death
89Credits

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters, October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American film actress. She was particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in the screwball comedies of the 1930s. She was the highest-paid star in Hollywood in the late 1930s. She was the third wife of actor Clark Gable.

Lombard was born into a wealthy family in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but was raised in Los Angeles by her single mother. At 12, she was recruited by the film director Allan Dwan and made her screen debut in A Perfect Crime (1921).

Read the full biography

Eager to become an actress, she signed a contract with the Fox Film Corporation at age 16, but mainly played bit parts. She was dropped by Fox after a car accident left a scar on her face. Lombard appeared in 15 short comedies for Mack Sennett between 1927 and 1929, and then began appearing in feature films such as High Voltage and The Racketeer. After a successful appearance in The Arizona Kid (1930), she was signed to a contract with Paramount Pictures.

Paramount quickly began casting Lombard as a leading lady, primarily in drama films. Her profile increased when she married William Powell in 1931, but the couple divorced after two years. A turning point in Lombard's career came when she starred in Howard Hawks' pioneering screwball comedy Twentieth Century (1934). The actress found her niche in this genre, and continued to appear in films such as Hands Across the Table (1935) (forming a popular partnership with Fred MacMurray), My Man Godfrey (1936), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and Nothing Sacred (1937). At this time, Lombard married "the King of Hollywood", Clark Gable, and the supercouple gained much attention from the media. Keen to win an Oscar, at the end of the decade, Lombard began to move towards more serious roles. Unsuccessful in this aim, she returned to comedy in Alfred Hitchcock's Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) and Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be (1942)—her final film role.

Lombard's career 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 ranks among the American Film Institute's greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema.

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 89 credits.

  1. 20231939: Secrets of Hollywood's Golden YearSeries (1 episode)
  2. 2005William Powell: A True GentlemanFilm
  3. 1994That's Entertainment! IIIFilm: (archive footage) (uncredited)
  4. 1984Going Hollywood: The '30sFilm: (archive footage)
  5. 1982Showbiz Goes to WarFilm: (archive footage)
  6. 1976Bob Hope's World of ComedyFilm: (archive footage)
  7. 1964The Big Parade of ComedyFilm: Mary Magiz in 'The Gay Bride' (archive footage)
  8. 1957The Golden Age of ComedyFilm: archive footage
  9. 1953Yesterday and TodayFilm: (archive footage)
  10. 1942To Be or Not to BeFilm: Maria Tura
  11. 1941Mr. & Mrs. SmithFilm: Ann
  12. 1940They Knew What They WantedFilm: Amy Peters
  13. 1940Vigil in the NightFilm: Anne Lee
  14. 1939In Name OnlyFilm: Julie Eden
  15. 1939Made for Each OtherFilm: Jane Mason
  16. 1938Breakdowns of 1938Film: Kay Winters (archive footage) (uncredited)
  17. 1938Fools for ScandalFilm: Kay Winters
  18. 1937True ConfessionFilm: Helen Bartlett
  19. 1937Nothing SacredFilm: Hazel Flagg
  20. 1937Swing High, Swing LowFilm: Maggie King
  21. 1936My Man GodfreyFilm: Irene Bullock
  22. 1936The Princess Comes AcrossFilm: Princess Olga / Wanda Nash
  23. 1936Love Before BreakfastFilm: Kay Colby
  24. 1935Hands Across the TableFilm: Regi Allen
  25. 1935RumbaFilm: Diana Harrison
  26. 1934The Gay BrideFilm: Mary Magiz
  27. 1934Lady by ChoiceFilm: Alabam Lee
  28. 1934Now and ForeverFilm: Toni Day
  29. 1934Twentieth CenturyFilm: Lily Garland, formerly Mildred Plotka
  30. 1934We're Not DressingFilm: Doris Worthington
  31. 1934BoleroFilm: Helen Hathaway
  32. 1933White WomanFilm: Judith Denning
  33. 1933Brief MomentFilm: Abby Fane Deane
  34. 1933The Eagle and the HawkFilm: The Beautiful Lady
  35. 1933SupernaturalFilm: Roma Courtney
  36. 1933From Hell to HeavenFilm: Colly Tanner
  37. 1932No Man of Her OwnFilm: Connie Randall
  38. 1932No More OrchidsFilm: Annie Holt
  39. 1932VirtueFilm: Mae
  40. 1932Sinners in the SunFilm: Doris Blake
  41. 1932No One ManFilm: Penelope 'Nep' Newbold
  42. 1931I Take This WomanFilm: Kay Dowling
  43. 1931Up Pops the DevilFilm: Anne Merrick
  44. 1931Ladies' ManFilm: Rachel Fendley
  45. 1931Man of the WorldFilm: Mary Kendall
  46. 1931It Pays to AdvertiseFilm: Mary Grayson
  47. 1930Fast and LooseFilm: Alice O'Neil
  48. 1930Safety in NumbersFilm: Pauline
  49. 1930The Arizona KidFilm: Virginia Hoyt
  50. 1929The RacketeerFilm: Rhoda Philbrooke
  51. 1929Big NewsFilm: Margaret Banks
  52. 1929High VoltageFilm: Billie ("Phyllis")
  53. 1929Don't Get JealousFilm: Girl at Shoeshine Stand (uncredited)
  54. 1929Matchmaking MammaFilm: Phyllis
  55. 1928Ned McCobb's DaughterFilm: Jennie
  56. 1928The Campus VampFilm: Carole (as Carol Lombard)
  57. 1928Hubby's Weekend TripFilm: Minor Role (uncredited)
  58. 1928Show FolksFilm: Cleo (as Carol Lombard)
  59. 1928Me, GangsterFilm: Blonde Rosie
  60. 1928Motorboat MamasFilm: Automobile Passenger (uncredited)
  61. 1928PowerFilm: Another Dame (as Carol Lombard)
  62. 1928The Campus CarmenFilm: Carole
  63. 1928Smith's RestaurantFilm: Minor Role (uncredited)
  64. 1928His Unlucky NightFilm: Peggy - Telephone Operator
  65. 1928The Girl from NowhereFilm: Miss Boyle - Dress Shop Owner
  66. 1928The Divine SinnerFilm: Millie Claudert
  67. 1928The Bicycle FlirtFilm: Mabel - The Wife's Sister
  68. 1928The Swim PrincessFilm: Trudy - the Swim Star
  69. 1928The Best ManFilm: Wedding Guest (uncredited)
  70. 1928Smith's Army LifeFilm: Clarence's Wife
  71. 1928The Beach ClubFilm: Jump Rope Girl on Beach
  72. 1928Run, Girl, RunFilm: Norma Nurmi
  73. 1927The Girl from EverywhereFilm: Vera Veranda - Miss Anybody
  74. 1927My Best GirlFilm: Flirty Blonde Salesgirl (uncredited)
  75. 1927Gold Digger of WeepahFilm: Fortune Teller (uncredited)
  76. 1927Smith's PonyFilm: Lillian Saunders
  77. 1927The Fighting EagleFilm: (unconfirmed)
  78. 1926The Johnstown FloodFilm: Gloria's Bridesmaid (uncredited)
  79. 1926The Road to GloryFilm: Bit Part (as Carol Lombard)
  80. 1925Ben-Hur: A Tale of the ChristFilm: Slave Girl (uncredited)

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.