Who Is John Clark Gable? A Detailed Biography of Clark Gable’s Son

John Clark Gable (born 20th March 1961, Age: 63) is the son of late Hollywood legend – William Clark Gable. He is an American actor and professional racer who is known for his role in Sunset at Dawn 

Being the child of a famous personality comes with severe pressure and some people have buckled under such pressure while others have managed to thrive in spite of it. For some others, it is a bag of mixed fortunes and one of those that fall into this category is John Clark Gable. Son of the legendary Hollywood star, Clark Gable, John was born into A-List celebrity status.

Despite the fact that his father passed away even before he was born, there was still an intense focus on his life. His mom and other relatives tried to shield him from the spotlight as best as they could and he has gone on to record successes as an actor and a racing car driver.

He has however struggled with drug issues, as well as fractured relations with his kids. John Clark Gable continues to move on in his life and there is no arguing the fact that he has done his best, given his peculiar circumstances.

John Clark Gable Was Born Four Months After His Father, Clark Gable, Died

Some children never got to know their father because he bailed out on the family. For some others, it is as a result of something tragic like death and John Clark Gable belongs to this latter category. He was born on the 20th day of March 1961, about four months after his dad died.

The legendary Clark Gable had been eagerly awaiting the birth of his son and had even made known his plans to take an extended time off work in order to be there for the infant. That plan never got to materialize though as he was stricken with a heart attack in late 1960.

He spent most part of November in the Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital and the hope was that he would recover. He however passed on the 17th day of November 1960 which means John Clark Gable never got to meet his dad in real life. He would later grow up to reveal that it felt strange having a father he never knew. He however surmised that he somewhat knew his dad from watching his movies, reading books about him, and listening to his mother’s stories.

His Mother Was Actress Kay Spreckels

Having lost his father even before he was born, John Clark Gable was mostly raised by his mother, Kay Spreckles. Kay was a native of Pennsylvania and grew up to become an aspiring actress.

She scored uncredited bit parts in over a dozen movies in the 40s. She also played the role of Hazel Dawn in the 1953 movie, The Actress. Kay had been thrice married and divorced before going on to marry Clark Gable in 1955. They remained together until his death in 1960 and she gave birth to their son, John, four months later.

John and his mother made their home on the 22-acre ranch that belonged to their family in Encino. The young boy rarely emerged during his youth due to fears that he may be a target of kidnapping as a result of his heritage. He lived like a hermit for almost two decades but you wouldn’t hear him complaining much. He was surrounded by the love of his mom and people like his godmother, Winnie Lee, and his childhood friend, Dodd Darin (son of the singer – Bobby Darin and actress – Sandra Dee). He grew up with a love for riding, which happened to be his late father’s passion and practiced all over his family’s ranch in Encino.

John Clark Gable is a Professional Racer With Multiple Lucas Oil Championships

Upon reaching his 20s, John Clark Gable slowly started emerging into the public spotlight. Buoyed by his love for racing, he participated in his first truck race at the 1983 Barstow Classic and finished in a good position. He went on to perform in several other races and by the next year of 1984, won the SCORE rookie of the year.

Even though Gable’s mother tried to dissuade him from racing, due to fears for his safety, he nevertheless continued with it as it was a way to bond with his late father. Gable is now a professional racer and has competed against some of the greatest off-road drivers in the world, including former Indy greats, Parnelli Jones and Roger Mears.

He has taken part in several off-road motocrosses and off-road truck races and has won several titles, including the Lucas Oil regional competition in 2014, and the vintage trucks division at NORRA Baja 100 in 2014. He has also finished in the top five at numerous races such as the 1993 NDRA Mint 400, 1992 SCORE Baja 1000, 1991 HDR Jeep Desert Championship, 1989 SCORE Baja 1000, 1989 HDRA Soutars Budweiser Fireworks, 1986 HDRA Frontier 500, 1985 HDRA Mint 400, 1984 SCORE Baja 1000. Gable has also won motorcycle races such as the AMA National Hare & Hound (1999), and the AMA Vikings Hare & Hound (1998).

He is Also an Actor and Has Featured in a Handful of Movies Over the Years

John Clark Gable made his acting debut in the 1990 western film, Bad Jim. The movie revolves around three loafers who turn to robbery and Gable played one of the robbers named John T. Cole. Bad Jim received mostly mixed reviews but that has not stopped Gable from further exploring his movie career. He portrayed an army officer in the 1994 TV movie, A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story.

He also played the role of Costello in the Italian mafia movie, Sunset at Dawn, and Sheriff Herrera in the 2012 sci-fi movie, Aliens from Uranus. This is certainly a decent acting career but John Clark Gable is not as successful as his father. The senior Clark Gable rose from an ordinary extra to become the leading man in Hollywood in the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

He starred opposite some of the most popular actresses of his time and appeared in movies such as Gone with the Wind, Manhattan Melodrama, San Francisco, Boom Town, and Test Pilot. He was also the lead in the 1934 romantic comedy, It Happened One Night, which fetched him the Academy Award for best actor.

Clark Gable is now hailed as the King of Hollywood and has been ranked one of the greatest male movie stars of classic American cinema by the American Film Institute. Going by the movies featured in and the awards won, John Clark Gable clearly still has a long way to go before he can become as successful as his late father. Even their net worth is another pointer. At the time he died, Clark Gable was worth as much as $100 million while his son has only been able to achieve a net worth of $5 million.

John Clark Gable’s First Marriage to Hairdresser, Tracy Yarro, Ended as a Result of Drug Abuse

John Clark Gable has been married a total of three times in his life and his first marriage was to a hairdresser known as Tracy Yarro. He and Yarro tied the knot in 1985 and were married for a total of five years during which they welcomed a son, James Clark Gable III, and daughter, Kayley Gable. The couple later divorced in 1990 over irreconcilable differences. Yarro would come out years down the line to reveal that their split was due to drug abuse. According to her, John and other members of his family abused drugs and he had to enter rehab to seek help.

Gable never publicly responded to these allegations but it seems there is some truth in his first wife’s allegations. A 2006 copy of the Globe tabloid had a picture of him heading off to rehab with what appears to be several needle marks on his arm. A former girlfriend of his named Christiane Lange also died of an apparent drug overdose in the year 2012. Gable was also arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in April 2013, though he was able to escape without many legal consequences.

His Second Marriage to Alexandra Remlin Lasted For Four Years

Following his divorce from Tracy, John Clark Gable spent much of the 90s focusing on his acting career as well as dating casually. He later began a committed relationship with a lady named Alexandria Remlin around 1996. They dated for some time before tying the knot in 1999. The marriage lasted for four years during which the couple made some red carpet appearances. Gable later filed for divorce in January 2002 and cited irreconcilable differences as the reason. The divorce did not take too long to be sorted out and was finalized without any major scandal.

John Clark Gable Wed Stanford-Trained Entrepreneur, Debra Hartsell, in September 2020

John Clark Gable will be hoping the third time is magic as he got married for the third time to Debra Hartsell Gable in September 2020. Hartsell is a Stanford-trained entrepreneur and businesswoman who has spread her tentacles to several areas. She is skilled in performance evaluation, talent management, trust management, revenue, expense, and accounting.

She is also experienced in the digital media industry and her top strategies extend to search engine marketing, affiliate programs, organic traffic, and online marketplaces, etc. Debra is the owner and founder of several companies, including the Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Grappling Association.

Gable and Debra most probably got to know each other while working together at the Clark Gable enterprises in 2017. They started a relationship and tied the knot on the 5th of September 2020. Prior to the ceremony, the couple had been agonizing over how to have a dream wedding amidst the covid-19 pandemic.

They had a difficult time planning but they were able to pull it off. Gable and Hartsell exchanged vows at the Belmond Hotel in Santa Barbara, California. The ceremony featured only a handful of persons and Gable wore a white tuxedo. His bride on the other hand wowed in a gorgeous white dress. Debra was over the moon about the whole thing and described it as meant to be.

Gable and Debra have been together for a little over a year now and their union keeps going strong. The couple also continues working together at the company that they co-founded, known as the Clark Gable enterprises. Just as the name suggests, the company is dedicated to promoting the legacy of Clark Gable.

They do this by partnering with companies that share their vision of making products that reflect both the upscale elegance of Clark Gable and his farm boy character as well. Debra doubles as the co-owner and founder of the company, as well as its chief financial officer.

John Clark Gable’s Son, Clark Gable III, Died of an Accidental Overdose, in February 2019

John Clark Gable has had a total of two children in his lifetime, including the late Clark James Gable III. James was born on the 20th of September 1988 and his mother is Gable’s first wife, Tracy. He grew up to become a model and an actor. He was also an entrepreneur and owned a men’s fashion line of clothing and accessories. James was also famous for his role as a TV presenter.

For three seasons, he hosted the hidden camera TV show, Cheaters, which investigates claims of relationship infidelity. James Gable was never married but welcomed a daughter named Shore with his fiancée, Summer. The couple was hoping to one day tie the knot but this was not to be as Summer found her fiancée unresponsive at home on the 22nd of February 2019.

He was later pronounced dead and a subsequent autopsy showed that he died from an overdose of fentanyl, oxycodone, and alprazolam in his system. James’ death led to an outpouring of tributes from the Cheaters’ family, as well as his manager who described him as someone who loved his family very much.

His mother described him as her beautiful son while his sister, Kayley, stated that she was broken and shattered and expressed her regrets that they couldn’t save him. James was later interred but his funeral caused a major rift between his sister and mother on one hand and his father on the other hand.

James had exhibited some wild tendencies such as using drugs and getting into trouble with the law as a youth. He and his father, John, were estranged and his father refused for his remains to be buried in the family’s plot in Forrest Lawn. He also refused to pay for the funeral expenses.

His Daughter, Kayley Gable, is an Aspiring Actress

John Clark Gable’s first child is Kayley Larae Gable. She was born in 1986 and has followed in her grandfather’s footsteps by going into showbiz. She scored her first movie part in the 1998 TV movie, Winchell. She has since scored minor roles in movies such as The Cynical Life of Harper Hall (2011) and Sunset Society (2018).

She also starred in season one of the MTV reality TV show, Paris Hilton’s My New BFF, in 2008. Kayley has a son named Ocean Clark Gable who was born in 2015. The relationship between Gable and his daughter is not so great as well. For instance, following James’ death, Kayley reached out to her father for help at the funeral but he turned her down. He told her to keep the Gable name out of the whole shameful drug affair and accused her and her late brother of using the family name in disgrace.

Kayley was enraged by his response and took to social media to call out her dad. She accused him of being the druggie and posted a photo of a tabloid magazine with the headline “Clark Gable’s Druggie Son Saved from Suicide”. The young lady alleged that her father used drugs in front of them while they were kids and even gave them drugs.

Her claims were backed up by her mother and she threatened to write a tell-all book about her father. The whole thing revealed that there was really a big rift in the Gable family but at the end of the day, John Clark Gable refused to participate in his son’s funeral and Kayley was forced to resort to GoFundMe to raise the money to bury her late brother.