Gable studied at the Royal Ballet School, becoming a soloist in 1959 with the Royal Ballet. He continued as a principal with Covent Garden Ballet, but was troubled by arthritis and left in 1967 to pursue a career in acting.

Christopher Gable's ballet roles included that of Mercury in Jacques Offenbach's comic operetta, "Orpheus in the Underworld", in a production which has been released on DVD.

He appeared in a number of television and film productions directed by Ken Russell, including:
Eric Fenby in the 1968 BBC film of Song of Summer, about the composer Frederick Delius.
Richard Strauss in the 1970 BBC film of The Dance of the Seven Veils.
Tchaikovsky's lover in the 1970 film of The Music Lovers
Tony in the 1971 film of The Boy Friend
Mr. Brangwen in the 1989 film of D.H. Lawrence's The Rainbow

Other film roles included that of John, valet and friend of Prince Edward, in the Cinderella film musical The Slipper and the Rose, and on television Gable gave a critically-acclaimed performance as the anti-hero Sharaz Jek in the 1984 Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani, appearing masked almost throughout.

His last screen role was in 1989 and he returned to the world of dance as director of the Northern Ballet Theatre. He died from cancer and left a widow, the dancer Carole Needham.