What's After the Movie
Carole Lombard
Carole Lombard, born Jane Alice Peters on October 6, 1908 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, emerged from a comfortable Midwestern upbringing to become one of the definitive screw‑ball queens of Classic Hollywood. At the age of twelve she was discovered by director Allan Dwan while playing baseball, and she earned a two‑day screen test that led to her debut in A Perfect Crime (1921). After a brief stint with Fox Film Corporation and a harrowing car‑window accident that left a facial scar, Lombard rebuilt her career as a Mack Sennett Bathing Beauty, appearing in dozens of short comedies that sharpened her timing and physical humor. Her transition to feature films with Paramount in 1930 launched her as a leading lady, and a series of successful dramas initially defined her early reputation. The turning point arrived in 1934 when Howard Hawks cast her in the revolutionary screw‑ball Twentieth Century, revealing a razor‑sharp wit that would define her legacy. Subsequent classics such as My Man Godfrey (1936), Nothing Sacred (1937) and To Be or Not to Be (1942) cemented her status as a high‑paid, critically acclaimed star. Lombard’s personal life was equally headline‑making; she married actor William Powell in 1931, a union that lasted two years, and later eloped with Clark Gable in 1939, a partnership celebrated by the press as Hollywood’s ultimate super‑couple. Despite two miscarriages and an inability to bear children, the couple remained devoted until her tragic death in the TWA Flight 3 crash on January 16, 1942. Her influence extended beyond the screen, as she pioneered profit‑participation contracts, advocated for women’s economic independence, and was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a ranking of 23rd on the American Film Institute’s list of greatest female screen legends.
Biography, Career & Filmography
Learn more about Carole Lombard, including a detailed biography, career timeline, personal life insights, and complete filmography. Discover how Carole Lombard rose to fame, their major roles, industry impact, and personal milestones in the world of film.
Given Name: Jane Alice Peters
Born: Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
Citizenship: American
Birthday: October 6, 1908
Occupations: Actress
Years Active: 1921-1942
Spouses: William Powell, Clark Gable
External Links and Streaming Options
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Movies Featuring Carole Lombard
Nothing Sacred
To Be or Not to Be
True Confession
No Man of Her Own
William Powell: A True Gentleman
Anthony Quinn: An Original
Death In Hollywood
Oops, Those Hollywood Bloopers!
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Going Hollywood: The ’30s
Showbiz Goes to War
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
No One Man
Gable: The King Remembered
The Racketeer
From Hell to Heaven
Safety in Numbers
Dick Turpin
High Voltage
The Best Man
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
The Fighting Eagle
The Gay Bride
The Big Parade of Comedy
Hollywood: The Selznick Years
The Campus Vamp
Brief Moment
The Eagle and the Hawk
Bolero
Lady by Choice
I Take This Woman
Rumba
Supernatural
The Plastic Age
Swing High, Swing Low
The Fashion Side of Hollywood
Up Pops the Devil
The Campus Carmen
Pretty Ladies
The Johnstown Flood
Fast and Loose
Big News
Virtue
Made for Each Other
We’re Not Dressing
Sinners in the Sun
Run, Girl, Run
Matchmaking Mamma
Now and Forever
Hollywood Goes to Town
Man of the World
Film Stars Help Greece
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Twentieth Century
Love Before Breakfast
Ladies’ Man
The Golden Age of Comedy
My Man Godfrey
My Best Girl
No More Orchids
Vigil in the Night
The Road to Glory
They Knew What They Wanted
White Woman
Fools for Scandal
It Pays to Advertise
Breakdowns of 1938
Career Timeline
Track the complete movie timeline of Carole Lombard, including all film releases, career breakthroughs, and notable roles. Follow their journey from early performances to recent blockbusters and upcoming projects.
1938
Hollywood Goes to Town
Self
Fools for Scandal
Kay Winters
Breakdowns of 1938
Kay Winters (archive footage) (uncredited)
1934
The Gay Bride
Mary Magiz
Bolero
Helen Hathaway
Lady by Choice
Alabam Lee
We’re Not Dressing
Doris Worthington
Now and Forever
Toni Carstairs Day
Twentieth Century
Lily Garland, formerly Mildred Plotka
1933
From Hell to Heaven
Colly Tanner
Brief Moment
Abby Fane Deane
The Eagle and the Hawk
The Beautiful Lady
Supernatural
Roma Courtney
White Woman
Judith Denning
1932
No Man of Her Own
No One Man
Penelope 'Nep' Newbold
Virtue
Mae
Sinners in the Sun
Doris Blake
No More Orchids
Annie Holt
1931
I Take This Woman
Kay Dowling
Up Pops the Devil
Anne Merrick
Man of the World
Mary Kendall
Ladies’ Man
Rachel Fendley
It Pays to Advertise
Mary Grayson
1929
The Racketeer
Rhoda Philbrooke
High Voltage
Billie ("Phyllis")
Big News
Margaret Banks
Matchmaking Mamma
Phyllis (as Carol Lombard)
1928
The Best Man
Wedding Guest (uncredited)
The Campus Vamp
Carole (as Carol Lombard)
The Campus Carmen
Carole
Run, Girl, Run
Norma Nurmi
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