Alan Walbridge Ladd (1913 – 1964) was an American actor and film and television producer. Ladd found success in film the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in Westerns and film noirs where he was often paired with Veronica Lake.
After a string of bit parts in "B" pictures--and an unbilled part in Orson Welles' classic Citizen Kane (1941) Ladd tested for This Gun for Hire (1942) his fourth-billed role as psychotic killer Raven made him a star.
Throughout the 1940s tough-guy roles in films like The Glass Key and The Blue Dahlia packed audiences into theaters and Ladd was one of the very few males whose cover photos sold movie magazines.
In the 1950s he was performing in lucrative but unrewarding films an exception being what many regard as his greatest role, Shane (1953) the western was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It was listed at No. 45 on the American Film Institute's 2007 ranking of 100 Greatest American Films.
By the end of the 1950s liquor and a string of so-so films had taken their toll. In November 1962 he was found unconscious lying in a pool of blood with a bullet wound near his heart. In January 1964 he was found dead, apparently due to an accidental combination of alcohol and sedatives. (Wikipedia - IMDB)
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| This Gun for Hire (1942) |
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| The Glass Key (1942) |
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| The Glass Key (1942) |
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| Lucky Jordan (1942) |
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| China (1943) |
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| And Now Tomorrow (1944) |
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| Salty O'Rourke (1945) |
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| The Blue Dahlia (1946) |
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| The Blue Dahlia (1946) |
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| Two Years Before the Mast (1946) |
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| Calcutta (1947) |
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| Wild Harvest (1947) |
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| Saigon (1948) |
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| Whispering Smith (1948) |
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| The Great Gatsby (1949) |
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| Branded (1950) |
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| Captain Carey U.S.A. (1950) |
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| Appointment With Danger (1951) |
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| Red Mountain (1951) Belgian poster |
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| The Iron Mistress (1952) |
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| The Iron Mistress (1952) Belgian poster |
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| Botany Bay (1953) |
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| Desert Legion (1953) |
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| Desert Legion (1953) Belgian poster |
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| Paratrooper (1953 aka The Red Beret) |
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| Shane (1953) |
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| Shane (1953) Belgian poster |
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| Drum Beat (1954) |
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| Hell Below Zero (1954) |
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| Saskatchewan (1954) |
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| Saskatchewan (1954) Belgian poster |
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| The Black Knight (1954) |
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| Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) |
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| Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) Italian poster |
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| Boy on a Dolphin (1957) |
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| The Deep Six (1958) |
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| The Proud Rebel (1958) |
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| The Badlanders (1958) |
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| All the Young Men (1960) |
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| Guns of the Timberland (1960) |
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| One Foot in Hell (1960) |
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| Duel of Champions (1961) |
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| 13 West Street (1962) |
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| The Carpetbaggers (1964) |
I have only seen one of the movies that you have listed..Shane of course. I also have seen Citizen Kane....but I see that did not make your cut. So 2 Alan Ladd movies?...you have found another weakness in my movie armor. Even worse is the fact that I am not aware of many of these movies. Badlanders with Ernie B. looks like one I might like....another excellent addition in the Steve Lensman Movie Poster Hall of Fame.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting Bruce, Shane is Ladd's most famous film, a true western classic, Jack Palance was a memorable villain, evil incarnate.
ReplyDeleteLadd was very popular in his time but was quite a short actor, Sophia Loren towered over him in Boy on a Dolphin.