
Alan Ladd
Biography
Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film and television producer. Ladd found success in film the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in Westerns and film noirs where he was often paired with Veronica Lake, as she was one of the few Hollywood actresses shorter than he. His popularity diminished in the late 1950s, though he continued to appear in popular films until his death from cerebral edema in January 1964.
Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, but later relocated to North Hollywood, California when his mother re-married. He worked briefly as a studio carpenter (as did his stepfather) and for a short time was part of the Universal Pictures studio school for actors. Intent on acting, he found work in small theatres. He had short term stints at MGM and RKO, and eventually started getting steady work on radio. Ladd began by appearing in dozens of films in small roles, including Citizen Kane , before reaching recognition for his 1942 appearance in This Gun for Hire, invigorating Hollywood's desire for gangster-crime features. His cool, unsmiling persona proved popular with wartime audiences, and he was quickly established as one of the top box office stars of the decade.
Acting (103 movies)

Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man
1999

Shane
1953

The Movie Orgy
1968

The Reluctant Dragon
1941

Appointment with Danger
1950

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982

Petticoat Politics
1941

Saigon
1947

Calcutta
1946

Chicago Deadline
1949

The Black Knight
1954

The Black Cat
1941

The Carpetbaggers
1964

Whispering Smith
1948

Boy on a Dolphin
1957

The Blue Dahlia
1946

Joan of Paris
1942

This Gun for Hire
1942

The Man in the Net
1959

The Glass Key
1942

Gangs Inc.
1941

The Great Gatsby
1949

Los Angeles Plays Itself
2004

Once in a Lifetime
1932

My Favorite Brunette
1947

Cadet Girl
1941

Great Guns
1941

Victory
1940

The Howards of Virginia
1940

Blame It on Love
1940

The Green Hornet
1940

The Goldwyn Follies
1938

Hold 'Em Navy
1937

Souls at Sea
1937

Pigskin Parade
1936

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983

Hell on Frisco Bay
1955

The Red Beret
1953

The Badlanders
1958

O.S.S.
1946

A Cry in the Night
1956

Petunia Natural Park
1939

Secrets of a Nurse
1938

Freshman Year
1938

Come On, Leathernecks!
1938

All Over Town
1937

The Last Train from Madrid
1937

Murder at the Vanities
1934

The Iron Mistress
1952

The Proud Rebel
1958

The Deep Six
1958

The McConnell Story
1955

Star Spangled Rhythm
1942

Beyond Glory
1948

Hell Below Zero
1954

Salty O'Rourke
1945

Drum Beat
1954

Ellery Queen, Master Detective
1940

The Big Land
1957

Variety Girl
1947

Captain Carey, U.S.A.
1950

And Now Tomorrow
1944

Red Mountain
1951

Saskatchewan
1954

All the Young Men
1960

One Foot in Hell
1960

13 West Street
1962

Lucky Jordan
1942

China
1943

Branded
1950

Botany Bay
1952

Thunder in the East
1952

Duel of Champions
1961

Santiago
1956

Desert Legion
1953

Guns of the Timberland
1960

Two Years Before the Mast
1946

Skirmish on the Home Front
1944

Rat Pack
2022

Citizen Kane
1941

Those Were the Days!
1940

The Mysterious Miss X
1939

Her First Romance
1940

Duffy's Tavern
1945

Brother Rat and a Baby
1940

In Old Missouri
1940

Captain Caution
1940

Hitler: Beast of Berlin
1939

Tom Brown of Culver
1932

Light of Western Stars
1940

Cross-Country Romance
1940

Wild Harvest
1947

I Look at You
1941

Hollywood Victory Caravan
1945

Meat and Romance
1940

Meet the Missus
1940

Saturday's Millions
1933

A Star Is Born World Premiere
1954

Sauce for the Gander
1940

Photographic Intelligence for Bombardment Aviation
1943
| Title | Year | Job | 
|---|---|---|
| Drum Beat | 1954 | Producer | 
| Hell on Frisco Bay | 1955 | Producer | 
| Santiago | 1956 | Producer | 
| The Big Land | 1957 | Producer | 
| Guns of the Timberland | 1960 | Executive Producer |