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(A Biographical sketch & Filmography)
Full Name: Alan Walbridge Ladd Jr. Alan Ladd’s early life was anything but easy. His mother, Ina Raleigh, was an English immigrant and his father, Alan Ladd Sr., was an accountant who traveled frequently. When Alan was four, his father died, leaving him and his mother economically insecure. Dreaming of a better life, Ina and Alan moved to Oklahoma City where Ina remarried. Soon after, the family decided to move to California in search of better employment opportunities. High school was a positive experience for Alan and he became involved in sports and participated in school productions. However, Ladd was still a long way away from entering the world of Hollywood film-making. Before becoming an actor, Ladd worked a number of odd jobs including gas station attendant, hot dog vendor, and lifeguard. Starting in the entertainment business, Ladd played small parts in radio shows and local theatre productions. For two years, he also worked as a grip on the Warners lot. Ladd's early film work was mostly minor parts, such as the role of a reporter in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1914). In October 1936, Ladd married Marjorie Jane Harrold, and in 1937, Alan Ladd Jr. was born. Despite Ladd’s initial troubles getting noticed in the Hollywood community, the persistence of Ladd’s agent, former screen actress, Sue Carol, helped the actor get more important roles in films. Carol became Ladd’s second wife in 1942. That same year the actor got his big break with Paramount’s This Gun for Hire, in which Ladd played a paid killer. The response to the film was so favorable that Ladd instantly became a star. His co-star in the film, Veronica Lake, matched Ladd’s icy eyes and blond stolid look so well that the studio teamed them for several other productions that were extremely popular with movie-goers. Among them were The Glass Key, The Blue Dahlia, and Saigon.
Through the mid 50s, Ladd remained with Paramount, making a number of films where he played dynamic, action-packed roles. The western Shane gave Ladd the opportunity to play an honest character troubled by conflicting emotions. Ladd’s magnetism and his beautiful portrayal of the character made the movie one of Ladd’s "classics." After Shane, Ladd continued making films until his death at age 51. Ladd’s blond good looks, charisma, and stoic presence were apparent in all the movies that he made. It is this magnetism that will keep him in the memory of the audiences who loved him. Filmography the DeLorenzo Collection] -1932 Once in a Lifetime -1936 Pigskin Parade -1937 Born to the West -1937 Hold ‘Em Navy -1937 The Last Train From Madrid -1937 Souls at Sea -1938 Come on Leathernecks -1938 Freshman Year -1938 The Goldwyn Follies -1939 Goose Step/ Beasts of Berlin -1939 Rulers of the Sea -1940 Captain Caution -1940 Gangs of Chicago -1940 The Green Hornet -1940 Her First Romance -1940 The Howards of Virginia -1940 In Old Missouri -1940 Light of the Western Stars -1940 Meet the Missus -1940 Those Were the Days -1940 Wildcat Bus -1941 Cadet Girl -1941 Citizen Kane -1941 Gangs,Inc./Paper Bullets/Crime, Inc. -1941 Great Guns -1941 Petticoat Politics -1941 The Reluctant Dragon -1942 The Glass Key -1942 Joan of Paris -1942 Lucky Jordan -1942 Star Spangled Rhythm -1942 This Gun for Hire -1943 China -1944 And Now Tomorrow -1945 Duffy’s Tavern -1945 Salty O’Rourke -1946 The Blue Dahlia -1946 O.S.S. -1946 Two Years Before the Mast -1947 Calcutta -1947 My Favorite Brunette -1947 Variety Girl -1947 Wild Harvest -1948 Beyond Glory -1948 Saigon -1948 Whispering Smith -1949 Chicago Deadline -1949 The Great Gatsby -1950 Branded -1950 Captain Carey, U.S.A -1951 Appointment With Danger -1951 Red Mountain -1952 The Iron Mistress -1953 Botany Bay -1953 Desert Legion -1953 Paratrooper/The Red Beret (UK) -1953 Shane -1953 Thunder in the East -1954 The Black Knight (UK) -1954 Drum Beat -1954 Hell Below Zero -1954 Saskatchewan -1955 Hell on Frisco Bay -1955 The McConnell Story -1956 Santiago -1957 The Big Land -1957 Boy on a Dolphin -1958 The Badlanders -1958 The Deep Six -1958 The Proud Rebel -1959 The Man in the Net -1960 All the Young Men -1960 Guns of the Timberland -1960 One Foot in Hell -1961 Duel of Champions/ Orazi e Curiazi (Italy/Spain) -1962 13 West Street -1964 The Carpetbaggers |
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