Known For
Acting
Born
Sep 03, 1913
Died
Jan 29, 1964
Place of Birth
Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA
Credits
107 titles
Alan Ladd
Biography
Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and producer known for his cool, understated screen presence and his defining roles in 1940s and 1950s film noir and Westerns. Standing 5 ft 6 in (168 cm), Ladd became famous for the contrast between his modest height and his commanding on‑screen persona, a combination studios often enhanced through camera techniques and staging. He was frequently paired with Veronica Lake, one of the few major actresses shorter than he was, and together they became one of Hollywood’s iconic noir duos. Born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Ladd moved to North Hollywood as a child and worked various jobs before entering the film industry. After years of small roles — including an uncredited appearance in Citizen Kane — he achieved stardom with This Gun for Hire (1942). His quiet intensity and stoic charm resonated strongly with wartime audiences, making him one of the decade’s top box‑office draws. Ladd went on to star in a series of successful films, including The Glass Key (1942), The Blue Dahlia (1946), Whispering Smith (1948), Shane (1953), and The Proud Rebel (1958). Though his popularity declined somewhat in the late 1950s, he continued to work steadily in both film and television and produced several of his later projects. Ladd died in 1964 at the age of 50 from cerebral edema caused by acute alcohol and barbiturate intoxication, which was ruled an accidental death. Despite his relatively short life, he remains a defining figure of classic Hollywood — a performer whose quiet strength, distinctive presence, and memorable roles continue to influence the Western and noir genres.
Known For
Filmography
Rat Pack
Self (archive footage)
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
Al - Baby Weems Storyboard Artist (archive footage) (uncredited)
Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man
Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
(in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
The Movie Orgy
Self (archive footage)
The Carpetbaggers
Nevada Smith
13 West Street
Walt Sherill
Duel of Champions
Horatius
One Foot in Hell
Mitch Barrett
All the Young Men
Sgt. Kincaid
Guns of the Timberland
Jim Hadley
The Man in the Net
John Hamilton
The Badlanders
Peter Van Hoek (The Dutchman)
The Proud Rebel
John Chandler
The Deep Six
Alexander 'Alec' Austen
Boy on a Dolphin
Dr. James 'Jim' Calder
The Big Land
Chad Morgan
A Cry in the Night
Opening Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Santiago
Caleb 'Cash' Adams
Hell on Frisco Bay
Steve Rollins
The McConnell Story
Capt. Joseph C. 'Mac' McConnell, Jr.
The Bob Cummings Show
Self
Drum Beat
Johnny MacKay
A Star Is Born World Premiere
Self
The Black Knight
John
Saskatchewan
Thomas O'Rourke
Hell Below Zero
Duncan Craig
The Red Beret
Steve 'Canada' McKendrick
Desert Legion
Paul Lartal
Shane
Shane
General Electric Theater
Dan Holiday
Botany Bay
Hugh Tallant
Thunder in the East
Steve Gibbs
The Iron Mistress
Jim Bowie
Red Mountain
Capt. Brett Sherwood
Branded
Choya
Appointment with Danger
Al Goddard
Captain Carey, U.S.A.
Captain Webster Carey
Chicago Deadline
Ed Adams
The Great Gatsby
Jay Gatsby
Whispering Smith
Whispering Smith
Beyond Glory
Capt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Gilman
Saigon
Major Larry Briggs
Wild Harvest
Joe Madigan
Variety Girl
Alan Ladd
My Favorite Brunette
Sam McCloud (uncredited)
Calcutta
Neale Gordon
Two Years Before the Mast
Charles Stewart
O.S.S.
John Martin / Lt. (j.g.) Philip Masson, U.S.N.R. / Philippe Martine