Alan Walbridge Ladd 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.
Known For
Citizen Kane
(1941)
Reporter Smoking Pipe at End (uncredited)
Shane
(1953)
Shane
The Reluctant Dragon
(1941)
Baby Weems Storyboard Artist
The Blue Dahlia
(1946)
Johnny Morrison
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
(1982)
(in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
This Gun for Hire
(1942)
Philip Raven
Great Guns
(1941)
Soldier in Photo Shop (uncredited)
The Carpetbaggers
(1964)
Nevada Smith
Drum Beat
(1954)
Johnny MacKay
Los Angeles Plays Itself
(2004)
Philip Raven in This Gun For Hire (archive footage)
The Black Cat
(1941)
Richard Hartley
Appointment with Danger
(1950)
Al Goddard
A Star Is Born World Premiere
(1954)
Self
The Glass Key
(1942)
Ed Beaumont
The Great Gatsby
(1949)
Jay Gatsby
Full Filmography
Acting
Tom Brown of Culver
(1932)
Cadet
Once in a Lifetime
(1932)
Projectionist (uncredited)
Saturday's Millions
(1933)
Student
Murder at the Vanities
(1934)
Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Pigskin Parade
(1936)
Student (uncredited)
Hold 'Em Navy
(1937)
Chief Quartermaster (uncredited)
Souls at Sea
(1937)
Sailor (uncredited)
All Over Town
(1937)
Young Man (uncredited)
The Last Train from Madrid
(1937)
Soldier (uncredited)
The Goldwyn Follies
(1938)
First Auditioning Singer (uncredited)
Secrets of a Nurse
(1938)
Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
Freshman Year
(1938)
Student (uncredited)
Come On, Leathernecks!
(1938)
Club Waiter (uncredited)
The Mysterious Miss X
(1939)
Henchman
Hitler: Beast of Berlin
(1939)
Karl Bach
Rulers of the Sea
(1939)
Colin Farrell
Petunia Natural Park
(1939)
Narrator (uncredited)
Those Were the Days!
(1940)
Keg Rearick
American Portrait
(1940)
Young man / Old man
Her First Romance
(1940)
John Gilman
Brother Rat and a Baby
(1940)
Cadet in Trouble
In Old Missouri
(1940)
John Pittman Jr.
Captain Caution
(1940)
Newton
Light of Western Stars
(1940)
Danny
Cross-Country Romance
(1940)
Mr. Williams
Meat and Romance
(1940)
Bill Allen
Meet the Missus
(1940)
John Williams
Sauce for the Gander
(1940)
Man on the Spot Reporter
Victory
(1940)
Heyst as an 18-Year-Old (uncredited)
The Howards of Virginia
(1940)
Backwoodsman (uncredited)
Blame It on Love
(1940)
TV Director (uncredited)
The Green Hornet
(1940)
Gilpin - Student Pilot (uncredited)
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
(1940)
Elevator Passenger (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
The Reluctant Dragon
(1941)
Baby Weems Storyboard Artist
The Black Cat
(1941)
Richard Hartley
Gangs Inc.
(1941)
Jimmy Kelly aka Bill Dugan
Citizen Kane
(1941)
Reporter Smoking Pipe at End (uncredited)
I Look at You
(1941)
Himself
Petticoat Politics
(1941)
Higgins Daughter's Boyfriend
Cadet Girl
(1941)
Harry - Musician (uncredited)
Great Guns
(1941)
Soldier in Photo Shop (uncredited)
Joan of Paris
(1942)
"Baby"
This Gun for Hire
(1942)
Philip Raven
The Glass Key
(1942)
Ed Beaumont
Star Spangled Rhythm
(1942)
Alan Ladd
Lucky Jordan
(1942)
Lucky Jordan
China
(1943)
David Jones
Photographic Intelligence for Bombardment Aviation
(1943)
Capt. Smith
And Now Tomorrow
(1944)
Doctor Merek Vance
Skirmish on the Home Front
(1944)
Harry W. Average
Salty O'Rourke
(1945)
Salty O'Rourke
Duffy's Tavern
(1945)
Alan Ladd
Hollywood Victory Caravan
(1945)
Alan Ladd
Calcutta
(1946)
Neale Gordon
The Blue Dahlia
(1946)
Johnny Morrison
O.S.S.
(1946)
John Martin / Lt. (j.g.) Philip Masson, U.S.N.R. / Philippe Martine
Two Years Before the Mast
(1946)
Charles Stewart
Saigon
(1947)
Major Larry Briggs
Variety Girl
(1947)
Alan Ladd
Wild Harvest
(1947)
Joe Madigan
My Favorite Brunette
(1947)
Sam McCloud (uncredited)
Whispering Smith
(1948)
Whispering Smith
Beyond Glory
(1948)
Capt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Gilman
Chicago Deadline
(1949)
Ed Adams
The Great Gatsby
(1949)
Jay Gatsby
Appointment with Danger
(1950)
Al Goddard
Captain Carey, U.S.A.
(1950)
Captain Webster Carey
Branded
(1950)
Choya
Red Mountain
(1951)
Capt. Brett Sherwood
The Iron Mistress
(1952)
Jim Bowie
Botany Bay
(1952)
Hugh Tallant
Thunder in the East
(1952)
Steve Gibbs
Shane
(1953)
Shane
The Red Beret
(1953)
Steve 'Canada' McKendrick
Desert Legion
(1953)
Paul Lartal
The Black Knight
(1954)
John
Hell Below Zero
(1954)
Duncan Craig
Drum Beat
(1954)
Johnny MacKay
Saskatchewan
(1954)
Thomas O'Rourke
A Star Is Born World Premiere
(1954)
Self
Hell on Frisco Bay
(1955)
Steve Rollins
The McConnell Story
(1955)
Capt. Joseph C. 'Mac' McConnell, Jr.
Santiago
(1956)
Caleb 'Cash' Adams
A Cry in the Night
(1956)
Opening Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Boy on a Dolphin
(1957)
Dr. James 'Jim' Calder
The Big Land
(1957)
Chad Morgan
The Badlanders
(1958)
Peter Van Hoek (The Dutchman)
The Proud Rebel
(1958)
John Chandler
The Deep Six
(1958)
Alexander 'Alec' Austen
The Man in the Net
(1959)
John Hamilton
All the Young Men
(1960)
Sgt. Kincaid
One Foot in Hell
(1960)
Mitch Barrett
Guns of the Timberland
(1960)
Jim Hadley
Duel of Champions
(1961)
Horatius
13 West Street
(1962)
Walt Sherill
The Carpetbaggers
(1964)
Nevada Smith
The Movie Orgy
(1968)
Self (archive footage)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
(1982)
(in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
(1983)
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
(1985)
Self (archive footage)
Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man
(1999)
Self (archive footage)
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
(2004)
Al - Baby Weems Storyboard Artist (archive footage)
Los Angeles Plays Itself
(2004)
Philip Raven in This Gun For Hire (archive footage)
Rat Pack
(2022)
Self (archive footage)
Production