Carole Lombard

Lore & Background

Lombard was born into a wealthy family in Fort Wayne, Indiana, but was raised in Los Angeles by her single mother. At age 12, she was recruited by director Allan Dwan and made her screen debut in A Perfect Crime (1921). She signed a contract with Fox Film Corporation at 16 but was dropped after a year. Her career nearly ended before her 19th birthday when a shattered windshield from a car accident left a scar on her face, but she overcame this and appeared in 15 short comedies for Mack Sennett from 1927 to 1929, then began appearing in feature films such as High Voltage (1929) and The Racketeer (1929). After a successful appearance in The Arizona Kid (1930), she was signed by Paramount Pictures.

Paramount cast Lombard as a leading lady, primarily in dramas. Her profile increased when she married William Powell in 1931, but the couple divorced amicably after two years. A turning point came when she starred in Howard Hawks's pioneering screwball comedy Twentieth Century (1934). She found her niche in this genre, appearing in films such as Hands Across the Table (1935, with Fred MacMurray); My Man Godfrey (1936), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and co-starred with Powell; and Nothing Sacred (1937). She later married Clark Gable, and the supercouple gained much media attention. Keen to win an Oscar, she moved toward serious roles at the end of the decade but was unsuccessful, returning 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 died at age 33 in the crash of TWA Flight 3 on Mount Potosi, Nevada, while returning from a war bond tour.

Reader's Guide

Carole Lombard's significance lies in her definitive contributions to the screwball comedy genre, a style of fast-paced, witty, and often absurd romantic comedy that flourished in 1930s Hollywood. Her energetic, off-beat performances in films like Twentieth Century and My Man Godfrey set a standard for comedic timing and physicality. The American Film Institute's ranking of her as the 23rd greatest female star of Classic Hollywood Cinema reflects her enduring impact. Lombard also overcame a serious facial scar from a car accident to sustain her career, demonstrating resilience. Her marriage to Clark Gable made them a celebrated supercouple, and her death in a plane crash while returning from a war bond tour added a tragic note to her legacy. She remains an icon of American cinema, particularly for her work in comedy.

Did You Know?

• Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters and was raised in Los Angeles by her single mother after her parents separated.
• At age 12, she was spotted playing baseball by director Allan Dwan, which led to her first screen role in A Perfect Crime (1921).
• A car accident in 1927 left a scar on her face, but she continued her career with the help of Mack Sennett.
• She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in My Man Godfrey (1936).

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"At first thought , we might say, 'our job is to win a war'...but I am sure it would be closer to the hearts of all of us to say, 'We are fighting a war to assure a peace...our kind of peace.'" — Carole Lombard "I have no kicks at all [The] fact is I'm pretty happy about the whole thing...I enjoy this country. I like the parks and the highways and the good schools and everything that this Government does." — Carole Lombard "Endorsing Roosevelt's administration and income tax in general." — Carole Lombard "Being poor didn't matter a bit. I didn't mind a bit. Wouldn't mind living in a ground-floor right now—you can get out the back door faster!" — Carole Lombard