Alan Ladd
Born: 1913-09-03 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA
Died: 1964-01-29
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2022
- Rat Pack as Self (archive footage)
2004
- Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6 as Al - Baby Weems Storyboard Artist (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Los Angeles Plays Itself as Philip Raven in This Gun For Hire (archive footage)
1999
- Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man as Self (archive footage)
1983
- Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1982
- Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid as (in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
1968
- The Movie Orgy as Self (archive footage)
1964
- The Carpetbaggers as Nevada Smith
1962
- 13 West Street as Walt Sherill
1961
- Duel of Champions as Horatius
1960
- All the Young Men as Sgt. Kincaid
- Guns of the Timberland as Jim Hadley
- One Foot in Hell as Mitch Barrett
1959
- The Man in the Net as John Hamilton
1958
- The Badlanders as Peter Van Hoek (The Dutchman)
- The Proud Rebel as John Chandler
- The Deep Six as Alexander 'Alec' Austen
1957
- The Big Land as Chad Morgan
- Boy on a Dolphin as Dr. James 'Jim' Calder
1956
- Santiago as Caleb 'Cash' Adams
- A Cry in the Night as Opening Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1955
- The Bob Cummings Show as Self
- Hell on Frisco Bay as Steve Rollins
- The McConnell Story as Capt. Joseph C. 'Mac' McConnell, Jr.
1954
- Drum Beat as Johnny MacKay
- Saskatchewan as Thomas O'Rourke
- The Black Knight as John
- Hell Below Zero as Duncan Craig
- A Star Is Born World Premiere as Self
1953
- Desert Legion as Paul Lartal
- Shane as Shane
- The Red Beret as Steve 'Canada' McKendrick
- General Electric Theater as Dan Holiday
1952
- Botany Bay as Hugh Tallant
- Thunder in the East as Steve Gibbs
- The Iron Mistress as Jim Bowie
1951
- Red Mountain as Capt. Brett Sherwood
1950
- Branded as Choya
- Captain Carey, U.S.A. as Captain Webster Carey
- Appointment with Danger as Al Goddard
1949
- Chicago Deadline as Ed Adams
- The Great Gatsby as Jay Gatsby
1948
- Beyond Glory as Capt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Gilman
- Whispering Smith as Whispering Smith
1947
- Saigon as Major Larry Briggs
- Wild Harvest as Joe Madigan
- Variety Girl as Alan Ladd
- My Favorite Brunette as Sam McCloud (uncredited)
1946
- Calcutta as Neale Gordon
- O.S.S. as John Martin / Lt. (j.g.) Philip Masson, U.S.N.R. / Philippe Martine
- Two Years Before the Mast as Charles Stewart
- The Blue Dahlia as Johnny Morrison
1945
- Duffy's Tavern as Alan Ladd
- Salty O'Rourke as Salty O'Rourke
- Hollywood Victory Caravan as Alan Ladd
1944
- And Now Tomorrow as Doctor Merek Vance
- Skirmish on the Home Front as Harry W. Average
1943
- China as David Jones
- Photographic Intelligence for Bombardment Aviation as Capt. Smith
1942
- Lucky Jordan as Lucky Jordan
- The Glass Key as Ed Beaumont
- Joan of Paris as "Baby"
- This Gun for Hire as Philip Raven
- Star Spangled Rhythm as Alan Ladd
1941
- Citizen Kane as Reporter Smoking Pipe at End (uncredited)
- Great Guns as Soldier in Photo Shop (uncredited)
- Cadet Girl as Harry - Musician (uncredited)
- Unfinished Rainbows as Charles Martin Hall
- Military Training as Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, County Fair
- The Reluctant Dragon as Baby Weems Storyboard Artist
- Petticoat Politics as Higgins Daughter's Boyfriend
- I Look at You as Himself
- The Black Cat as Richard Hartley
- Gangs Inc. as Jimmy Kelly aka Bill Dugan
1940
- Victory as Heyst as an 18-Year-Old (uncredited)
- The Light of Western Stars as Danny
- Cross-Country Romance as Mr. Williams
- The Howards of Virginia as Backwoodsman (uncredited)
- Wildcat Bus as (uncredited)
- Those Were the Days! as Keg Rearick
- Her First Romance as John Gilman
- Blame It on Love as TV Director (uncredited)
- Captain Caution as Newton
- Brother Rat and a Baby as Cadet in Trouble
- Meet the Missus as John Williams
- Sauce for the Gander as Man on the Spot Reporter
- The Green Hornet as Gilpin - Student Pilot (uncredited)
- Ellery Queen, Master Detective as Elevator Passenger (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
- American Portrait as Young man / Old man
- Meat and Romance as Bill Allen
- In Old Missouri as John Pittman Jr.
1939
- Rulers of the Sea as Colin Farrell
- The Mysterious Miss X as Henchman
- Petunia Natural Park as Narrator (uncredited)
- Hitler: Beast of Berlin as Karl Bach
1938
- Freshman Year as Student (uncredited)
- The Goldwyn Follies as First Auditioning Singer (uncredited)
- Secrets of a Nurse as Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
- Come On, Leathernecks! as Club Waiter (uncredited)
1937
- Souls at Sea as Sailor (uncredited)
- All Over Town as Young Man (uncredited)
- The Last Train from Madrid as Soldier (uncredited)
- Hold 'Em Navy as Chief Quartermaster (uncredited)
1936
- Pigskin Parade as Student (uncredited)
1934
- Murder at the Vanities as Chorus Boy (uncredited)
1933
- Saturday's Millions as Student
1932
- Tom Brown of Culver as Cadet
- Once in a Lifetime as Projectionist (uncredited)