Acting
Alan Ladd
FR, EN, IT cinema · 107 credits
Born
3 September 1913
Died
29 January 1964 (aged 50)
Birthplace
Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA
Also known as Alan Walbridge Ladd
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
as Self (archive footage)
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
as Al - Baby Weems Storyboard Artist (archive footage) (uncredited)
Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man
as Self (archive footage)
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
as (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
as (in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
The Movie Orgy
as Self (archive footage)
The Carpetbaggers
as Nevada Smith
13 West Street
as Walt Sherill
Duel of Champions
as Horatius
All the Young Men
as Sgt. Kincaid
One Foot in Hell
as Mitch Barrett
Guns of the Timberland
as Jim Hadley, Executive Producer
The Man in the Net
as John Hamilton
The Badlanders
as Peter Van Hoek (The Dutchman)
The Proud Rebel
as John Chandler
The Deep Six
as Alexander 'Alec' Austen
Boy on a Dolphin
as Dr. James 'Jim' Calder
The Big Land
as Chad Morgan, Producer
A Cry in the Night
as Opening Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Santiago
as Caleb 'Cash' Adams, Producer
Hell on Frisco Bay
as Steve Rollins, Producer
The McConnell Story
as Capt. Joseph C. 'Mac' McConnell, Jr.
The Black Knight
as John
Hell Below Zero
as Duncan Craig
Drum Beat
as Johnny MacKay, Producer
Saskatchewan
as Thomas O'Rourke
Shane
as Shane
The Red Beret
as Steve 'Canada' McKendrick
Desert Legion
as Paul Lartal
The Iron Mistress
as Jim Bowie
Botany Bay
as Hugh Tallant
Thunder in the East
as Steve Gibbs
Red Mountain
as Capt. Brett Sherwood
Appointment with Danger
as Al Goddard
Captain Carey, U.S.A.
as Captain Webster Carey
Branded
as Choya
Chicago Deadline
as Ed Adams
The Great Gatsby
as Jay Gatsby
Whispering Smith
as Whispering Smith
Beyond Glory
as Capt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Gilman
Saigon
as Major Larry Briggs
My Favorite Brunette
as Sam McCloud (uncredited)
Variety Girl
as Alan Ladd
Wild Harvest
as Joe Madigan
Calcutta
as Neale Gordon
The Blue Dahlia
as Johnny Morrison
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
Salty O'Rourke
as Salty O'Rourke
Duffy's Tavern
as Alan Ladd
Hollywood Victory Caravan
as Alan Ladd
And Now Tomorrow
as Doctor Merek Vance
Skirmish on the Home Front
1944
Skirmish on the Home Front
as Harry W. Average
China
as David Jones
Joan of Paris
as "Baby"
This Gun for Hire
as Philip Raven
The Glass Key
as Ed Beaumont
Star Spangled Rhythm
as Alan Ladd
Lucky Jordan
as Lucky Jordan
The Reluctant Dragon
as Baby Weems Storyboard Artist
Petticoat Politics
as Higgins Daughter's Boyfriend
The Black Cat
as Richard Hartley
Gangs Inc.
as Jimmy Kelly aka Bill Dugan
Cadet Girl
as Harry - Musician (uncredited)
Great Guns
as Soldier in Photo Shop (uncredited)
Citizen Kane
as Reporter Smoking Pipe at End (uncredited)
I Look at You
as Himself
Military Training
1941
Military Training
as Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, County Fair
Unfinished Rainbows
1941
Unfinished Rainbows
as Charles Martin Hall
Victory
as Heyst as an 18-Year-Old (uncredited)
The Howards of Virginia
as Backwoodsman (uncredited)
Blame It on Love
as TV Director (uncredited)
The Green Hornet
as Gilpin - Student Pilot (uncredited)
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
as Elevator Passenger (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Those Were the Days!
as Keg Rearick
American Portrait
1940
American Portrait
as Young man / Old man
Her First Romance
as John Gilman
Brother Rat and a Baby
as Cadet in Trouble
In Old Missouri
as John Pittman Jr.
Captain Caution
as Newton
Cross-Country Romance
as Mr. Williams
Meat and Romance
as Bill Allen
Meet the Missus
as John Williams
Sauce for the Gander
as Man on the Spot Reporter
Wildcat Bus
as (uncredited)
Petunia Natural Park
as Narrator (uncredited)
The Mysterious Miss X
as Henchman
Hitler: Beast of Berlin
as Karl Bach
Rulers of the Sea
as Colin Farrell
The Goldwyn Follies
as First Auditioning Singer (uncredited)
Secrets of a Nurse
as Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
Freshman Year
as Student (uncredited)
Come On, Leathernecks!
as Club Waiter (uncredited)
Hold 'Em Navy
as Chief Quartermaster (uncredited)
Souls at Sea
as Sailor (uncredited)
All Over Town
as Young Man (uncredited)
The Last Train from Madrid
as Soldier (uncredited)
Pigskin Parade
as Student (uncredited)
Murder at the Vanities
as Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Saturday's Millions
as Student
Once in a Lifetime
as Projectionist (uncredited)
Tom Brown of Culver
as Cadet