Guide Note

Alan Ladd was an American film actor from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Fast Facts

1. Birth Name: Alan Walbridge Ladd
2. Birth Date: September 3, 1913
3. Birthplace: Hot Springs, AR
4. Died: January 29, 1964
5. Spouse: Sue Carol
6. Children: Alan Ladd Jr., Alana Ladd, David Ladd
7. Awards: 1953 "Henrietta Award" Golden Globe
8. Debut Movie: Tom Brown of Culver (1932)
9. Burned his apartment down at age 5¹

Despite an extensive career, Alan Ladd will perhaps be remembered most for his role in the 1953 western Shane.

As the lone protagonist in the film, Ladd's character fights for the rights of homesteaders in a small town. To this day, the film is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time.²

In 1964, Ladd died of an overdose of alcohol and sedatives. He was 50 years old.

• Philip Raven in This Gun for Hire (1942)
• Ed Beaumont in The Glass Key (1942)
• Larry Briggs in Saigon (1948)
• Shane in Shane (1953)

• "I have the face of an aging choirboy and the build of an undernourished featherweight."³

• "If you can figure out my success on the screen, you’re a better man than I."³

• "I'm the most insecure guy in Hollywood. If you had it good all your life, you figure it can't ever get bad, but when you had it bad, you wonder how long a thing like this will last."⁴