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Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard 23rd on its list of the greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema. Born into a wealthy family, Lombard was raised by her single mother. She made her screen debut in A Perfect Crime (1921) at the age of 12 and the experience spurred her and her mother to seek further film work, eventually resulting in a movie career. Lombard was killed in a plane crash aboard TWA Flight 3 while returning from a war bond tour. She was 33 years old. Today, she is remembered as one of the definitive actresses of the screwball comedy genre and American comedy and as an icon of American cinema. Life and career Early life and education (1908–1920) Lombard was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on October 6, 1908, at 704 Rockhill Street. Christened Jane Alice Peters, she was the third child and only daughter of Frederic Christian Peters (1875–1935) and Elizabeth Jayne "Bessie" (Knight) Peters (1876–1942). Her two older brothers, with whom she was close all her life, were Frederic Charles (1902–1979) and John Stuart (1906–1956). Lombard's parents both came from wealthy families, and biographer Robert Matzen called her early years her "silver spoon period". Her parents' marriage was strained, and in October 1914, her mother took the children and moved to Los Angeles. Although the couple did not divorce, the separation was permanent. Her father's continued financial support allowed the family to live comfortably, and they settled into an apartment near Venice Boulevard. At Virgil Junior High School, Lombard played tennis, volleyball, and swimming, and won trophies in athletics. At the age of 12, her passion for sports landed Lombard her first screen role. While playing baseball, she caught the attention of film director Allan Dwan, who later recalled seeing "a cute-looking little tomboy... out there knocking the hell out of the other kids, playing better baseball than they were. And I needed someone of her type for this picture." With the encouragement of her mother, Lombard took a small role in the melodrama A Perfect Crime (1921). She was on set for two days, playing the sister of Monte Blue. Dwan later said "She ate it up". Career beginnings and Fox contract (1921–26) Though A Perfect Crime was not widely distributed, the experience spurred Lombard and her mother to audition for more film work, but she was unsuccessful. While appearing as the queen of Fairfax High School's May Day Carnival at the age of 15, Lombard was scouted by an employee of Charlie Chaplin and offered a screen test to appear in The Gold Rush (1925). Lombard did not win the role, but her test was seen by the Vitagraph Film Company, which expressed interest in signing her. Although this did not materialize, their condition that she adopt a new first name led to her selecting the name "Carole" after a girl with whom she played tennis at Virgil Jr. High School. In October 1924, 16-year-old Lombard signed a contract with the Fox Film Corporation. Lombard's mother contacted gossip columnist Louella Parsons, who arranged a screen test. According to biographer Larry Swindell, Lombard's beauty convinced studio head Winfield Sheehan to sign her to a $75-per-week contract, and she abandoned her schooling to pursue the new career. Fox disliked her surname and she was renamed Carole Lombard, the surname of a family friend. Most of Lombard's appearances with Fox were bit parts in low-budget Westerns and adventure films. She later said, "All I had to do was simper prettily at the hero and scream with terror when he battled with the villain." However, she enjoyed other aspects of film work such as photo shoots, costume fittings, and socializing with actors on the studio set. Lombard embraced the flapper lifestyle and became a regular at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, where she won several Charleston dance competitions. In March 1925, Lombard landed a leading role in the drama Marriage in Transit with Edmund Lowe. A reviewer for Motion Picture News wrote that Lombard displayed "good poise and considerable charm". However, the studio heads were unconvinced that Lombard was leading-lady material, and her contract was not renewed. Gehring has suggested a facial scar resulting from a car crash was a factor in this decision, but that incident occurred nearly two years later on September 9, 1927. According to historian Olympia Kiriakou, on the night of the crash, Lombard was on a date with a man named Harry Cooper. On Santa Monica Boulevard, Cooper hit another car; the windshield shattered and shards of glass cut "Lombard's face from her nose and across her left cheek to her eye." Lombard underwent reconstructive surgery and faced a long recovery period. For the remainder of her career, Lombard learned to hide the mark with makeup and careful lighting. At the time of the crash, Lombard was already under contract with Mack Sennett. In October 1927, Lombard and her mother Bess sued Cooper for $35,000 in damages, citing in the lawsuit that "where she formerly was able to earn a salary of $300 monthly as a Sennett girl, she is now unable to obtain employment of any kind." The lawsuit was settled out of court, and Lombard received $3,000. Although Lombard feared that the incident would end her career, Sennett pledged to help her recover. He afforded her "lucrative film roles and ample publicity", including the nickname "Carole of the Curves". Kiriakou explains, "the nickname simultaneously drew audiences' focus away from her facial scars and worked harmoniously with the physicality and female sensuality that were emblematic of Lombard's performances" in Sennett's films. Breakthrough and early success (1927–29) Although Lombard initially had reservations about slapstick comedies, she became one of Sennett Bathing Beauties and appeared in 18 short films (all as Lillian Smith in the Smith Family series) from September 1927 to March 1929, Lombard's first experiences in comedy provided valuable training for her future comedic work. In 1940, she called her Sennett years "the turning point of [my] acting career". Sennett's productions were distributed by Pathé Exchange, and the company began casting Lombard in feature films. She had prominent roles in Show Folks and Ned McCobb's Daughter (both 1928), and reviewers observed that she made a "good impression" and was "worth watching". The following year, Pathé elevated Lombard to a leading lady. Her success in Raoul Walsh's picture Me, Gangster (also 1928), with June Collyer and Don Terry in his film debut, finally eased the pressure that her family had been exerting for her to succeed. In Howard Higgin's High Voltage (1929), Lombard's first sound film, she played a criminal in the custody of a deputy sheriff, both of whom are among bus passengers stranded in deep snow. Her next film, the comedy Big News (1929), cast her with Robert Armstrong .... Discover the Robert Matzen popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Robert Matzen books.