Rat Pack
2022 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Alan Ladd
1913-09-03
•
Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA
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.
Filmography
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6
2004 · Movie
as Al - Baby Weems Storyboard Artist (archive footage) (uncredited)
Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man
1999 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
1985 · Movie
as (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983 · Movie
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982 · Movie
as (in "This Gun For Hire") (archive footage)
The Movie Orgy
1968 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
The Carpetbaggers
1964 · Movie
as Nevada Smith
13 West Street
1962 · Movie
as Walt Sherill
Duel of Champions
1961 · Movie
as Horatius
All the Young Men
1960 · Movie
as Sgt. Kincaid
One Foot in Hell
1960 · Movie
as Mitch Barrett
Guns of the Timberland
1960 · Movie
as Jim Hadley
The Man in the Net
1959 · Movie
as John Hamilton
The Badlanders
1958 · Movie
as Peter Van Hoek (The Dutchman)
The Proud Rebel
1958 · Movie
as John Chandler
The Deep Six
1958 · Movie
as Alexander 'Alec' Austen
Boy on a Dolphin
1957 · Movie
as Dr. James 'Jim' Calder
The Big Land
1957 · Movie
as Chad Morgan
A Cry in the Night
1956 · Movie
as Opening Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Santiago
1956 · Movie
as Caleb 'Cash' Adams
Hell on Frisco Bay
1955 · Movie
as Steve Rollins
The McConnell Story
1955 · Movie
as Capt. Joseph C. 'Mac' McConnell, Jr.
The Bob Cummings Show
1955 · TV Show
as Self
The Black Knight
1954 · Movie
as John
Hell Below Zero
1954 · Movie
as Duncan Craig
Drum Beat
1954 · Movie
as Johnny MacKay
Saskatchewan
1954 · Movie
as Thomas O'Rourke
A Star Is Born World Premiere
1954 · Movie
as Self
Shane
1953 · Movie
as Shane
The Red Beret
1953 · Movie
as Steve 'Canada' McKendrick
Desert Legion
1953 · Movie
as Paul Lartal
General Electric Theater
1953 · TV Show
as Dan Holiday, Joe, Dan Donlan
The Iron Mistress
1952 · Movie
as Jim Bowie
Botany Bay
1952 · Movie
as Hugh Tallant
Thunder in the East
1952 · Movie
as Steve Gibbs
Red Mountain
1951 · Movie
as Capt. Brett Sherwood
Appointment with Danger
1950 · Movie
as Al Goddard
Captain Carey, U.S.A.
1950 · Movie
as Captain Webster Carey
Branded
1950 · Movie
as Choya
Chicago Deadline
1949 · Movie
as Ed Adams
The Great Gatsby
1949 · Movie
as Jay Gatsby
Whispering Smith
1948 · Movie
as Whispering Smith
Beyond Glory
1948 · Movie
as Capt. Rockwell 'Rocky' Gilman
Saigon
1947 · Movie
as Major Larry Briggs
My Favorite Brunette
1947 · Movie
as Sam McCloud (uncredited)
Variety Girl
1947 · Movie
as Alan Ladd
Wild Harvest
1947 · Movie
as Joe Madigan
Calcutta
1946 · Movie
as Neale Gordon
The Blue Dahlia
1946 · Movie
as Johnny Morrison
O.S.S.
1946 · Movie
as John Martin / Lt. (j.g.) Philip Masson, U.S.N.R. / Philippe Martine
Two Years Before the Mast
1946 · Movie
as Charles Stewart
Salty O'Rourke
1945 · Movie
as Salty O'Rourke
Duffy's Tavern
1945 · Movie
as Alan Ladd
Hollywood Victory Caravan
1945 · Movie
as Alan Ladd
And Now Tomorrow
1944 · Movie
as Doctor Merek Vance
No image
Skirmish on the Home Front
1944 · Movie
as Harry W. Average
China
1943 · Movie
as David Jones
Photographic Intelligence for Bombardment Aviation
1943 · Movie
as Capt. Smith
Joan of Paris
1942 · Movie
as "Baby"
This Gun for Hire
1942 · Movie
as Philip Raven
The Glass Key
1942 · Movie
as Ed Beaumont
Star Spangled Rhythm
1942 · Movie
as Alan Ladd
Lucky Jordan
1942 · Movie
as Lucky Jordan
The Reluctant Dragon
1941 · Movie
as Baby Weems Storyboard Artist
Petticoat Politics
1941 · Movie
as Higgins Daughter's Boyfriend
The Black Cat
1941 · Movie
as Richard Hartley
Gangs Inc.
1941 · Movie
as Jimmy Kelly aka Bill Dugan
Cadet Girl
1941 · Movie
as Harry - Musician (uncredited)
Great Guns
1941 · Movie
as Soldier in Photo Shop (uncredited)
Citizen Kane
1941 · Movie
as Reporter Smoking Pipe at End (uncredited)
I Look at You
1941 · Movie
as Himself
No image
Military Training
1941 · Movie
as Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, County Fair
No image
Unfinished Rainbows
1941 · Movie
as Charles Martin Hall
The Green Hornet
1940 · Movie
as Gilpin - Student Pilot (uncredited)
Victory
1940 · Movie
as Heyst as an 18-Year-Old (uncredited)
The Howards of Virginia
1940 · Movie
as Backwoodsman (uncredited)
Blame It on Love
1940 · Movie
as TV Director (uncredited)
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
1940 · Movie
as Elevator Passenger (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Those Were the Days!
1940 · Movie
as Keg Rearick
No image
American Portrait
1940 · Movie
as Young man / Old man
Her First Romance
1940 · Movie
as John Gilman
Brother Rat and a Baby
1940 · Movie
as Cadet in Trouble
In Old Missouri
1940 · Movie
as John Pittman Jr.
Captain Caution
1940 · Movie
as Newton
The Light of Western Stars
1940 · Movie
as Danny
Cross-Country Romance
1940 · Movie
as Mr. Williams
Meat and Romance
1940 · Movie
as Bill Allen
Meet the Missus
1940 · Movie
as John Williams
Sauce for the Gander
1940 · Movie
as Man on the Spot Reporter
Wildcat Bus
1940 · Movie
as (uncredited)
Petunia Natural Park
1939 · Movie
as Narrator (uncredited)
The Mysterious Miss X
1939 · Movie
as Henchman
Hitler: Beast of Berlin
1939 · Movie
as Karl Bach
Rulers of the Sea
1939 · Movie
as Colin Farrell
The Goldwyn Follies
1938 · Movie
as First Auditioning Singer (uncredited)
Secrets of a Nurse
1938 · Movie
as Hospital Orderly (uncredited)
Freshman Year
1938 · Movie
as Student (uncredited)
Come On, Leathernecks!
1938 · Movie
as Club Waiter (uncredited)
Hold 'Em Navy
1937 · Movie
as Chief Quartermaster (uncredited)
Souls at Sea
1937 · Movie
as Sailor (uncredited)
All Over Town
1937 · Movie
as Young Man (uncredited)
The Last Train from Madrid
1937 · Movie
as Soldier (uncredited)
Pigskin Parade
1936 · Movie
as Student (uncredited)
Murder at the Vanities
1934 · Movie
as Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Saturday's Millions
1933 · Movie
as Student
Once in a Lifetime
1932 · Movie
as Projectionist (uncredited)
Tom Brown of Culver
1932 · Movie
as Cadet
