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