Gable was educated at Hopedale High School and later studied at the University of Akron night school. He began acting as a stage performer, first with a travelling company, covering the Western United States. He broke into the legitimate theatre in Jane Cowl's "Romeo and Juliet," followed by "What Price Glory," "The Copperhead," with Lionel Barrymore, "Madame X" and "Lady Frederick". It was at this time he started to gain himself some movie parts, notably as the comedy lead with Nancy Carroll in "Chicago". After a year away from the film set, appearing on stage in Houston, Gable returned to Hollywood to star in "The Painted Desert", before signing to MGM for "The Easiest Way".

The 1930's saw Gable at the peak of his popularity, apperaing in such films as "Red Dust" (1932), "It Happened One Night", for which he won the Academy Award (1934), "Mutiny On The Bounty" (1935) and "San Francisco" (1936). His most memorable role was probably that of Rhett Butler in 1939's civil war epic, "Gone With the Wind".

His post-war output was prodigious, producing many popular films, but on the whole these have proved far less memorable. He died in 1961, during the filming of The Misfits .