Carole Lombard was an American actor mostly known for her exuberant, often off-beat appearances in screwball comedies. She was born Jane Alice Peters on October 6, 1908. Lombard was ranked 23rd on the American Film Institute’s list of the top female stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema in 1999.
Lombard was born into a rich Fort Wayne, Indiana family, but was reared by her single mother in Los Angeles. She was discovered by filmmaker Allan Dwan when she was 12 years old and made her screen debut in A Perfect Crime (1921). She signed a contract with the Fox Film Corporation at the age of 16 because she wanted to be an actor, although she mostly played small parts.
Lombard was swiftly cast as a leading actress, primarily in drama films, by Paramount. When she married William Powell in 1931, her fame soared, but the pair separated amicably two years later. When Lombard starred in Howard Hawks’ groundbreaking screwball comedy Twentieth Century (1934), it marked a watershed moment in her career.
Lombard’s career was cut short when she perished in a plane crash on Mount Potosi, Nevada while returning from a war bond tour at the age of 33. She is now regarded as an icon of American cinema and one of the defining actresses of the screwball comedy genre and American comedy.
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