243:, paying to have his teeth fixed and hair styled. She guided him in building up his chronically undernourished body, and taught him better body control and posture. She spent considerable time training his naturally high-pitched voice, which Gable slowly managed to lower, and to gain better resonance and tone. As his speech habits improved, Gable's facial expressions became more natural and convincing. After the long period of rigorous training, Dillon eventually considered him ready to attempt a film career in Los Angeles.
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259:, Gable asked Dillon for a divorce. Dillon later recalled that he had asked for a divorce several times before but she refused as she did not believe he meant it. She filed for legal separation on March 28, 1929. Their divorce became final on April 1, 1930. Two days later, Gable married wealthy socialite Maria Franklin Prentiss Lucas Langham, nicknamed "Rhea".
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in 1934. He also went on to marry four more times. Gable rarely spoke publicly about his marriage to Dillon. In a statement issued by M-G-M in 1932, Gable denied rumors that he had married Dillon solely to further his career. He claimed he was motivated only by love and added that he "owed a debt of
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Dillon moved to Los
Angeles in the summer of 1924 where she opened The Dillon Stock Company. Five months later, Gable joined her. They were married shortly thereafter on December 18, 1924. On the marriage license, Gable claimed he was 24 years old while Dillon claimed she was 34. Dillon continued to
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magazine published a story claiming that Dillon was "down and out" and that Clark Gable refused to help her. Dillon denied the story was true and later testified against the editors of the magazine in a libel trial in August 1957. After the trial, Dillon lost many of her acting students due to the
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Dillon continued working as an acting teacher until poor health forced her to retire in the mid-1960s. In the years following Gable's death, several biographies of the actor were published that mentioned his marriage to Dillon. She later reported that she regularly received abusive and insulting
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It was at the Little
Theatre that Dillon met a then unknown aspiring actor 17-years her junior named W. C. Gable, while she was working as a stage director for the Red Lantern Players. Initially, she was Gable's acting coach but the two began a romantic relationship after Dillon took a special
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publicity. She nearly lost her home and later revealed that Gable had sent her money to avoid foreclosure. After Gable's death in
November 1960, the press reported that his will stipulated that the remainder of Dillon's mortgage be paid in full by his estate.
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gratitude" for guiding his early career. Dillon, who never remarried, refused to speak disparagingly about her famous ex-husband. She would only say the two were married "in name only", implying the marriage was not
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Passport
Application 1918, January 2, 1906-March 31, 1925; National Archives Microfilm Publication M1490, 2740 rolls; General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives, Washington,
279:. The book describes in detail the training that she put Gable through over a six and a half year period. Upon returning to California, Dillon continued teaching acting. Her students included
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251:", as his professional name. Over the next few years, Clark Gable's career gained momentum with stage and minor film roles. After appearing in the play
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work with Gable on his acting and voice while he went to auditions. During this time, Gable followed Dillon's advice to use his middle name, "
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In the years following their divorce, Clark Gable became one of the most popular leading men of the era and would win an
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1900 U.S. Census: Long Beach, Los
Angeles, California; Roll: T623 91; Page: 25A; Enumeration District: 109
171:(January 26, 1884 – November 11, 1971) was an American stage and film actress and acting teacher. She was
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191:, Dillon was one of six children of Judge Henry Clay Dillon. She was the younger sister of opera singer
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Throughout the 1950s and early 60s, Dillon continued to teach acting and lived in a small home in the
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letters and telephone calls from Gable fans despite the fact that she never publicly disparaged him.
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where she opened "the Little
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On
November 11, 1971, she died after a "lengthy illness" at a Rockhaven Sanitarium in
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for one year before returning to the United States to act on
Broadway for actor
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while her mother was a prominent socialite. Dillon was educated in the
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After graduating from
Stanford in 1908, Dillon studied acting in
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public school system and in Europe. She later studied acting at
568:"First Wife of Clark Gable Denies 'King' Had Tattled"
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732:Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory
770:Clark Gable: Biography, Filmography, Bibliography
383:(1944) - Mary Lou's Grandmother (Last appearance)
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663:"First Mrs. Gable Turns Sensation-Seekers Away"
255:in 1929 and shortly before he was signed with
16:American actress and drama teacher (1884–1971)
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734:. McFarland & Company Incorporated Pub.
607:"His First Wife Learns He Paid For Her Home"
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524:"A Candid Talk With Clark Gable's Coach"
175:'s patron, acting coach and first wife.
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375:(1944) - Undetermined Role (uncredited)
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496:Moffitt, John C. (October 24, 1932).
469:Moffitt, John C. (October 20, 1932).
239:interest in Gable. Dillon became his
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689:"Clark Gable first wife dies at 87"
902:Actresses from Greater Los Angeles
661:Scott, Vernon (October 11, 1961).
613:. November 18, 1960. pp. 12–A
92:Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles
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887:American women theatre directors
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862:20th-century American actresses
768:Spicer, Christopher J. (2002).
695:. November 12, 1971. p. 41
642:. November 12, 1971. p. 18
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730:Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001).
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574:. August 21, 1957. p. 24
530:. January 15, 1940. p. 4
37:U.S. passport photo from 1918
275:. That same year, she wrote
271:(later Columbia College) in
195:. Dillon's father became a
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907:Stanford University alumni
882:American theatre directors
814:Internet Broadway Database
749:Harris, Warren G. (2002).
553:. New York: Prentice Hall.
549:Dillon, Josephine (1940).
498:"The Climb of Clark Gable"
471:"The Climb of Clark Gable"
179:Early years and education
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912:American Roman Catholics
877:American stage actresses
751:Clark Gable: A Biography
380:The Lady and the Monster
302:The Lady and the Monster
897:American drama teachers
872:American film actresses
636:"First Gable Wife Dies"
119:Actress, acting teacher
101:Josephine Dillon Gable
867:Actresses from Denver
753:. New York: Harmony.
640:The Sumter Daily Item
502:The Milwaukee Journal
475:The Milwaukee Journal
353:. She is interred at
341:Later years and death
225:Edward Everett Horton
693:The Montreal Gazette
667:The Pittsburgh Press
611:St. Petersburg Times
351:Glendale, California
227:'s stock company in
144: 1924;
80:Glendale, California
572:The Palm Beach Post
328:San Fernando Valley
209:Stanford University
110:Stanford University
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160:Enrica Clay Dillon
596:, pp. 44–45)
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197:district attorney
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857:1971 deaths
852:1884 births
699:January 24,
673:January 25,
646:January 24,
617:January 25,
594:Spicer 2002
578:January 25,
534:January 24,
528:Times Daily
508:January 25,
504:. p. 1
481:January 25,
477:. p. 1
454:Spicer 2002
438:Harris 2002
425:Spicer 2002
365:Filmography
321:consummated
285:Gary Cooper
281:Bruce Cabot
201:Los Angeles
173:Clark Gable
130:Clark Gable
846:Categories
724:References
289:Donna Reed
205:California
49:1884-01-26
156:Relatives
253:Machinal
189:Colorado
183:Born in
162:(sister)
61:Colorado
812:at the
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241:patron
215:Career
185:Denver
124:Spouse
82:, U.S.
63:, U.S.
57:Denver
388:Notes
257:M-G-M
249:Clark
221:Italy
140:(
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828:IMDb
774:ISBN
755:ISBN
736:ISBN
701:2015
675:2015
648:2015
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580:2015
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409:D.C.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
