Alan Ladd

Actor

Born September 3, 1913 in 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.

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)

100 Years at the Movies

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

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

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

The Blue Dahlia

Johnny Morrison

Hollywood Victory Caravan

Alan Ladd

Duffy's Tavern

Alan Ladd

Salty O'Rourke

And Now Tomorrow

Doctor Merek Vance

China

David Jones

Photographic Intelligence for Bombardment Aviation

Capt. Smith

Lucky Jordan

The Glass Key

Ed Beaumont

This Gun for Hire

Philip Raven

Star Spangled Rhythm

Alan Ladd

Joan of Paris

"Baby"

Cadet Girl

Harry - Musician (uncredited)

Great Guns

Soldier in Photo Shop (uncredited)

The Reluctant Dragon

Baby Weems Storyboard Artist

Gangs Inc.

Jimmy Kelly aka Bill Dugan

The Black Cat

Richard Hartley

Citizen Kane

Reporter Smoking Pipe at End (uncredited)

I Look at You

Himself

Petticoat Politics

Higgins Daughter's Boyfriend

Her First Romance

John Gilman

Victory

Heyst as an 18-Year-Old (uncredited)

Ellery Queen, Master Detective

Elevator Passenger (uncredited) (unconfirmed)

Meet the Missus

John Williams

Meat and Romance

Bill Allen

The Howards of Virginia

Backwoodsman (uncredited)

Wildcat Bus

(uncredited)

Captain Caution

Newton

Those Were the Days!

Keg Rearick

Cross-Country Romance

Mr. Williams

Blame It on Love

TV Director (uncredited)

In Old Missouri

John Pittman Jr.

The Light of Western Stars

Danny

Sauce for the Gander

Man on the Spot Reporter

Brother Rat and a Baby

Cadet in Trouble

The Green Hornet

Gilpin - Student Pilot (uncredited)

Rulers of the Sea

Colin Farrell

Hitler: Beast of Berlin

Karl Bach

The Mysterious Miss X

Henchman

Petunia Natural Park

Narrator (uncredited)

Secrets of a Nurse

Hospital Orderly (uncredited)

Freshman Year

Student (uncredited)

Come On, Leathernecks!

Club Waiter (uncredited)

The Goldwyn Follies

First Auditioning Singer (uncredited)

Hold 'Em Navy

Chief Quartermaster (uncredited)

Souls at Sea

Sailor (uncredited)

All Over Town

Young Man (uncredited)

The Last Train from Madrid

Soldier (uncredited)

Pigskin Parade

Student (uncredited)

Murder at the Vanities

Chorus Boy (uncredited)

Saturday's Millions

Student

Once in a Lifetime

Projectionist (uncredited)

Tom Brown of Culver

Cadet