Clark Gable was a performer.
Boom Town is a 1940 American adventure film starring Clark Gable , Spencer Tracy , Claudette Colbert , and Hedy Lamarr , and directed by Jack Conway . William Clark Gable ( February 1 , 1901 -- November 16 , 1960 ) was an American film actor , often referred to as `` The King of Hollywood '' or just simply as `` The King '' . Gable also found success commercially and critically with films such as Red Dust ( 1932 ) , Manhattan Melodrama ( 1934 ) , San Francisco ( 1936 ) , Saratoga ( 1937 ) Boom Town ( 1940 ) , The Hucksters ( 1947 ) , Homecoming ( 1948 ) , and The Misfits ( 1961 ) , which was his final screen appearance . Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who is the protagonist or plays a love interest to the leading actress in a film or play .