Alan Ladd
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- September 3, 1913
- Died
- January 29, 1964 (aged 50)
- Birthplace
- Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA
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
Photos
Filmography
Rat Pack
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
Movie · as Al - Baby Weems Storyboard Artist (archive footage) (uncredited)
Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
Movie · as (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
Movie · as (in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
The Movie Orgy
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
The Carpetbaggers
Movie · as Nevada Smith
13 West Street
Movie · as Walt Sherill
Duel of Champions
Movie · as Horatius
All the Young Men
Movie · as Sgt. Kincaid
One Foot in Hell
Movie · as Mitch Barrett
Guns of the Timberland
Movie · as Jim Hadley
The Man in the Net
Movie · as John Hamilton
The Badlanders
Movie · as Peter Van Hoek (The Dutchman)
The Proud Rebel
Movie · as John Chandler
The Deep Six
Movie · as Alexander 'Alec' Austen
Boy on a Dolphin
Movie · as Dr. James 'Jim' Calder
The Big Land
Movie · as Chad Morgan
A Cry in the Night
Movie · as Opening Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Santiago
Movie · as Caleb 'Cash' Adams
Hell on Frisco Bay
Movie · as Steve Rollins
The McConnell Story
Movie · as Capt. Joseph C. 'Mac' McConnell, Jr.
The Bob Cummings Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Black Knight
Movie · as John
Hell Below Zero
Movie · as Duncan Craig
Drum Beat
Movie · as Johnny MacKay
Saskatchewan
Movie · as Thomas O'Rourke
A Star Is Born World Premiere
Movie · as Self
Shane
Movie · as Shane
The Red Beret
Movie · as Steve 'Canada' McKendrick
Desert Legion
Movie · as Paul Lartal
General Electric Theater
TV · as Dan Holiday, Joe, Dan Donlan · 1 ep
The Iron Mistress
Movie · as Jim Bowie
Botany Bay
Movie · as Hugh Tallant
Thunder in the East
Movie · as Steve Gibbs
Red Mountain
Movie · as Capt. Brett Sherwood
Appointment with Danger
Movie · as Al Goddard
Captain Carey, U.S.A.
Movie · as Captain Webster Carey
Branded
Movie · as Choya
Chicago Deadline
Movie · as Ed Adams
The Great Gatsby
Movie · as Jay Gatsby
Whispering Smith
Movie · as Whispering Smith
Beyond Glory
Movie · as Capt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Gilman
Saigon
Movie · as Major Larry Briggs
My Favorite Brunette
Movie · as Sam McCloud (uncredited)
Variety Girl
Movie · as Alan Ladd
Wild Harvest
Movie · as Joe Madigan
Calcutta
Movie · as Neale Gordon
The Blue Dahlia
Movie · as Johnny Morrison
O.S.S.
Movie · as John Martin / Lt. (j.g.) Philip Masson, U.S.N.R. / Philippe Martine
Two Years Before the Mast
Movie · as Charles Stewart
Salty O'Rourke
Movie · as Salty O'Rourke
Duffy's Tavern
Movie · as Alan Ladd
Hollywood Victory Caravan
Movie · as Alan Ladd
And Now Tomorrow
Movie · as Doctor Merek Vance
Skirmish on the Home Front
Movie · as Harry W. Average
China
Movie · as David Jones
Photographic Intelligence for Bombardment Aviation
Movie · as Capt. Smith
Joan of Paris
Movie · as "Baby"
This Gun for Hire
Movie · as Philip Raven
The Glass Key
Movie · as Ed Beaumont
Star Spangled Rhythm
Movie · as Alan Ladd
Lucky Jordan
Movie · as Lucky Jordan
The Reluctant Dragon
Movie · as Baby Weems Storyboard Artist
Petticoat Politics
Movie · as Higgins Daughter's Boyfriend
The Black Cat
Movie · as Richard Hartley
Gangs Inc.
Movie · as Jimmy Kelly aka Bill Dugan
Cadet Girl
Movie · as Harry - Musician (uncredited)
Great Guns
Movie · as Soldier in Photo Shop (uncredited)
Citizen Kane
Movie · as Reporter Smoking Pipe at End (uncredited)
I Look at You
Movie · as Himself
Military Training
Movie · as Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, County Fair
Unfinished Rainbows
Movie · as Charles Martin Hall
The Basic Principles of Skiing
Movie · as Self
The Green Hornet
Movie · as Gilpin - Student Pilot (uncredited)
Victory
Movie · as Heyst as an 18-Year-Old (uncredited)
The Howards of Virginia
Movie · as Backwoodsman (uncredited)
Blame It on Love
Movie · as TV Director (uncredited)
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
Movie · as Elevator Passenger (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Those Were the Days!
Movie · as Keg Rearick
American Portrait
Movie · as Young man / Old man
Her First Romance
Movie · as John Gilman
Brother Rat and a Baby
Movie · as Cadet in Trouble
In Old Missouri
Movie · as John Pittman Jr.
Captain Caution
Movie · as Newton
The Light of Western Stars
Movie · as Danny
Cross-Country Romance
Movie · as Mr. Williams
Meat and Romance
Movie · as Bill Allen
Meet the Missus
Movie · as John Williams
Sauce for the Gander
Movie · as Man on the Spot Reporter
Wildcat Bus
Movie · as (uncredited)
Petunia Natural Park
Movie · as Narrator (uncredited)
The Mysterious Miss X
Movie · as Henchman
Hitler: Beast of Berlin
Movie · as Karl Bach
Rulers of the Sea
Movie · as Colin Farrell
The Goldwyn Follies
Movie · as First Auditioning Singer (uncredited)
Secrets of a Nurse
Movie · as Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
Freshman Year
Movie · as Student (uncredited)
Come On, Leathernecks!
Movie · as Club Waiter (uncredited)
Hold 'Em Navy
Movie · as Chief Quartermaster (uncredited)
Souls at Sea
Movie · as Sailor (uncredited)
All Over Town
Movie · as Young Man (uncredited)
The Last Train from Madrid
Movie · as Soldier (uncredited)
Pigskin Parade
Movie · as Student (uncredited)
Murder at the Vanities
Movie · as Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Saturday's Millions
Movie · as Student
Once in a Lifetime
Movie · as Projectionist (uncredited)
Tom Brown of Culver
Movie · as Cadet