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 |