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. His popularity diminished in the late 1950s, though he continued to appear in popular films until his accidental death due to a lethal combination of alcohol, a barbiturate, and two tranquilizers in January 1964.
| Full Name | Alan Ladd |
| Net Worth | $1.3 Million |
| Date Of Birth | September 3, 1913 |
| Died | January 29, 1964, Palm Springs, California, United States |
| Death Cause | Cerebral edema caused by accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol |
| Place Of Birth | Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA |
| Height | 1.68 m |
| Occupation | Actor, film and television producer |
| Profession | Actor, Film producer, Television producer |
| Education | North Hollywood High School |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Sue Carol, Marjorie Jane Harrold |
| Children | David Ladd, Alana Ladd, Alan Ladd Jr. |
| Parents | Alan Ladd, Sr., Ina Raleigh Ladd |
| Siblings | Shane Ladd |
| Nicknames | Alan Ladd, Ladd, Alan |
| IMDB | http://imdb.com/name/nm0000042 |
| Awards | Golden Globe Henrietta Award for World Film Favorites |
| Movies | Shane, The Blue Dahlia, This Gun for Hire, The Glass Key, The Proud Rebel, The Iron Mistress, Boy on a Dolphin, The Badlanders, Whispering Smith, The Carpetbaggers, Drum Beat, Appointment with Danger, Guns of the Timberland, The Great Gatsby, Two Years Before the Mast, The Black Knight, Paper Bullet... |
| Star Sign | Virgo |
| # | Fact |
|---|
| 1 | He was a chain smoker. |
| 2 | According to June Allyson in her biography, Alan Ladd was scared of flying. When he had to travel to Europe he used the boat, train or car. |
| 3 | After Dick Cavett made a disparaging remark to John Houseman about Ladd's minimal acting talents, Houseman replied, "You'd be in despair. You'd go down to the set and you'd say, 'Why are we even making this film?' Then you'd go to the rushes, and there'd be these beautiful eyes, full of hidden thoughts. A marvelous film actor.". |
| 4 | He was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of superhero Green Lantern/Alan Scott (created in 1940). Ladd was 27 years old at the point. Scott's full name is Alan Ladd Wellington Scott. |
| 5 | He was a staunch Republican and campaigned for Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election. |
| 6 | In 1943, "Modern Screen" magazine ran sixteen stories on him in its twelve issues that year. |
| 7 | In 1945, he ranked fourth in a "Modern Screen" magazine popularity poll among readers. |
| 8 | He ranked tenth in popularity in a poll of movie fans conducted by the "Motion Picture Herald" in 1947. From 1948-1950, he ranked number one in that poll. |
| 9 | In 1954 he and Barbara Stanwyck won the top spots in "Modern Screen" magazine's Star of Stars Award competition as the most popular actors among fans in the previous ten years. |
| 10 | While he never enjoyed popularity among film critics, Ladd himself and his films were popular with the public. He was mobbed at guest appearances on network radio programs such as "The Lux Radio Theater" and in the 1940s his films grossed almost $55 million. |
| 11 | At the time of his death he had expressed an interest in playing Steve McQueen's role in Nevada Smith (1966), a part he'd played three years earlier in The Carpetbaggers (1964). |
| 12 | Turned down James Dean's role in Giant (1956) and Spencer Tracy's role in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). |
| 13 | Discovered Rory Calhoun while horseback riding in Griffith Park. |
| 14 | His former home in Palm Springs, California, is still on the bus tour of movie stars' homes. An office building also bears his name. |
| 15 | In 1956, Ladd proposed a television series based on his radio series "Box 13". The idea didn't sell. Ladd himself had played his "Box 13" character Dan Holiday in the "Committed" episode of General Electric Theater (1953) on television. In 1963, Ladd said he hoped to reunite several of his 1940s era co-stars, including William Bendix and Veronica Lake, for a big screen version of "Box 13". |
| 16 | He and Veronica Lake made seven movies together: The Blue Dahlia (1946), Duffy's Tavern (1945), The Glass Key (1942), Saigon (1948), Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), This Gun for Hire (1942) and Variety Girl (1947). In Variety Girl (1947), Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) and Duffy's Tavern (1945), they appear as themselves. |
| 17 | Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1601 Vine Street. |
| 18 | A photograph of his flogging in Two Years Before the Mast (1946) appears on the cover of the 2004 book: "Lash! The Hundred Great Scenes of Men Being Whipped in the Movies". |
| 19 | Ladd portrayed Dan Holiday on Mutual Radio's "Box 13" (1948-1949). This show was also syndicated. |
| 20 | In a 1961 interview Ladd was asked, "What would you change about yourself if you could?" He replied tersely: "Everything." |
| 21 | The prisoner he plays in 1953's Botany Bay (1952) is keelhauled, marking what may be the only time a Hollywood leading man suffers this particular form of punishment. |
| 22 | In his movies, suffers two cat-o-nine-tails floggings aboard sailing ships: (1) in Two Years Before the Mast (1946), he receives 10 lashes for striking an officer; (2) in Botany Bay (1952), he receives 50 lashes for attempting to escape from a prison transport ship. |
| 23 | Owing to a clerical error, Ladd was inaccurately included in the cast credits for Born to the West (1937) in studio publicity material. In fact, he was never in the film, despite the fact that it often shows up in his credits and even on the video box!. |
| 24 | Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA, in the Freedom Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Heritage. |
| 25 | Father of Alan Ladd Jr. with first wife, Marjorie 'Midge' Harrold. Father of Alana Ladd and David Ladd with second wife, Sue Carol. Grandfather of Jordan Ladd. |
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|
| The Carpetbaggers | 1964 | | Nevada Smith |
| 13 West Street | 1962 | | Walt Sherill |
| Duel of Champions | 1961 | | Horatio |
| All the Young Men | 1960 | | Sgt. Kincaid |
| One Foot in Hell | 1960 | | Mitch Garrett |
| Guns of the Timberland | 1960 | | Jim Hadley |
| The Man in the Net | 1959 | | John Hamilton |
| The Badlanders | 1958 | | Peter Van Hoek ('The Dutchman') |
| The Proud Rebel | 1958 | | John Chandler |
| General Electric Theater | 1954-1958 | TV Series | Dan Donlan / Joe / Dan Holiday |
| The Deep Six | 1958 | | Alexander 'Alec' Austen |
| Boy on a Dolphin | 1957 | | Dr. James Calder |
| The Big Land | 1957 | | Chad Morgan |
| A Cry in the Night | 1956 | | Opening Narrator (voice, uncredited) |
| Santiago | 1956 | | Caleb 'Cash' Adams |
| Hell on Frisco Bay | 1955 | | Steve Rollins |
| The McConnell Story | 1955 | | Capt. Joseph C.'Mac' McConnell, Jr. |
| Drum Beat | 1954 | | Johnny MacKay |
| The Black Knight | 1954 | | John |
| Saskatchewan | 1954 | | Thomas O'Rourke |
| Hell Below Zero | 1954 | | Duncan Craig |
| Paratrooper | 1953 | | Canada |
| Desert Legion | 1953 | | Paul Lartal |
| Shane | 1953 | | Shane |
| Botany Bay | 1952 | | Hugh Tallant |
| The Iron Mistress | 1952 | | Jim Bowie |
| Thunder in the East | 1951 | | Steve Gibbs |
| Red Mountain | 1951 | | Capt. Brett Sherwood |
| Appointment with Danger | 1951 | | Al Goddard |
| Branded | 1950 | | Choya |
| Captain Carey, U.S.A. | 1950 | | Captain Webster Carey |
| Eyes of Hollywood | 1949 | Short | |
| Chicago Deadline | 1949 | | Ed Adams |
| The Great Gatsby | 1949 | | Jay Gatsby |
| Whispering Smith | 1948 | | Whispering Smith |
| Beyond Glory | 1948 | | Capt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Gilman |
| Saigon | 1948 | | Maj. Larry Briggs |
| Wild Harvest | 1947 | | Joe Madigan |
| Calcutta | 1947 | | Neale Gordon |
| My Favorite Brunette | 1947 | | Sam McCloud (uncredited) |
| O.S.S. | 1946 | | Philip Masson John Martin |
| The Blue Dahlia | 1946 | | Johnny Morrison - Lt.Cmdr., ret. |
| Two Years Before the Mast | 1946 | | Charles Stewart |
| Hollywood Victory Caravan | 1945 | Short | Alan Ladd |
| Duffy's Tavern | 1945 | | Alan Ladd |
| Salty O'Rourke | 1945 | | Salty O'Rourke |
| And Now Tomorrow | 1944 | | Doctor Merek Vance |
| Skirmish on the Home Front | 1944 | Short | Harry W. Average |
| Letter from a Friend | 1943 | Short | |
| China | 1943 | | David Jones |
| Photographic Intelligence for Bombardment Aviation | 1943 | Documentary short | Capt. Smith (uncredited) |
| Lucky Jordan | 1942 | | Lucky Jordan |
| The Glass Key | 1942 | | Ed Beaumont |
| This Gun for Hire | 1942 | | Philip Raven |
| Star Spangled Rhythm | 1942 | | Alan Ladd- Scarface Skit |
| Joan of Paris | 1942 | | Baby |
| I Look at You | 1941 | Short | |
| More Worlds to Conquer | 1941 | Short | Charles Martin Hall |
| Cadet Girl | 1941 | | Harry - Musician (uncredited) |
| Military Training | 1941 | Short | Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, County Fair (uncredited) |
| Great Guns | 1941 | | Soldier in Photo Shop (uncredited) |
| Paper Bullets | 1941 | | Jimmy Kelly aka Bill Dugan |
| The Black Cat | 1941 | | Richard Hartley |
| Citizen Kane | 1941 | | Pipe-smoking Reporter (uncredited) |
| Petticoat Politics | 1941 | | Higgins Daughter's Boyfriend |
| The Reluctant Dragon | 1941/I | | Al - Baby Weems Storyboard Artist |
| American Portrait | 1940 | Short | Young Man / Old Man |
| Blame It on Love | 1940 | | TV director (uncredited) |
| Meat and Romance | 1940 | Short | Bill Allen |
| Her First Romance | 1940 | | John Gilman |
| Victory | 1940 | | Heyst as an 18-Year-Old (uncredited) |
| Meet the Missus | 1940 | | John Williams |
| Ellery Queen, Master Detective | 1940 | | Elevator Passenger (unconfirmed, uncredited) |
| The Howards of Virginia | 1940 | | Backwoodsman (uncredited) |
| Captain Caution | 1940 | | Newton |
| Cross-Country Romance | 1940 | | Mr. Williams - First Mate (uncredited) |
| Those Were the Days! | 1940 | | Keg Rearick |
| Gangs of Chicago | 1940 | uncredited | |
| In Old Missouri | 1940 | | John Pittman Jr. |
| The Light of Western Stars | 1940 | | Danny |
| Brother Rat and a Baby | 1940 | | Cadet in Trouble (uncredited) |
| The Green Hornet | 1940 | | Gilpin - Student Pilot [Ch. 3] (uncredited) |
| Rulers of the Sea | 1939 | | Colin Farrell |
| Hitler - Beast of Berlin | 1939 | | Karl Bach (as Allan Ladd) |
| The Mysterious Miss X | 1939 | | Henchman (uncredited) |
| Freshman Year | 1938 | | Student (uncredited) |
| Come On, Leathernecks! | 1938 | | Club Waiter (uncredited) |
| The Goldwyn Follies | 1938 | | First Auditioning Singer (uncredited) |
| Hold 'Em Navy | 1937 | | Chief Quartermaster (uncredited) |
| All Over Town | 1937 | | Young Man (uncredited) |
| Souls at Sea | 1937 | | Sailor (uncredited) |
| The Last Train from Madrid | 1937 | | Soldier (uncredited) |
| Pigskin Parade | 1936 | | Student (uncredited) |
| Murder at the Vanities | 1934 | | Chorus Boy (uncredited) |
| Saturday's Millions | 1933 | | Student (uncredited) |
| Island of Lost Souls | 1932 | | Beast (unconfirmed, uncredited) |
| Once in a Lifetime | 1932 | | Projectionist (uncredited) |
| Tom Brown of Culver | 1932 | | Cadet (uncredited) |
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$1.3 Million
