Hall of Fame of Western Film & TV Stars
Alan Ladd

Born: Alan Walbridge Ladd September 3, 1913, Hot Springs, AK.  Died: January  29, 1964, Palm Springs, CA, overdose of alcohol and sedatives

Alan Ladd was famous for his emotionless demeanor and small stature (reports of his height vary from 5'2" to 5'9", with 5'5" being the most generally accepted today).  In the majority of his films, he played either the hero or a bad guy with a conscience.

He was one of those rare super-stars whose pictures had appeal for men, women and children alike.  His tremendous popularity lasted for twenty-two years, a period, in which he earned a fortune for himself and his studio.

Alan was the son of Ina and Alan Ladd.  After his father died in 1917, his mother took him to live in Oklahoma City where she opened a boarding house.  In 1921, she married a man named James Beavers, who took the family to Los Angeles, California.  When he was not attending school, young Alan worked as a newsboy and racetrack attendant in order to help the family income.  Being a sickly youth, he decided to take up sports to build himself up and, thus, developed into a star athlete.  While he was a student at North Hollywood High, he was elected class president and excelled at swimming, diving and track.  

In 1932, he won the West Coast Diving championship but, because his family needed money, Alan turned down an athletic scholarship to USC and went to work instead.  After a series of odd jobs, Alan managed to become an acting Student at the Universal Studio School of Drama. Having had little experience, he was dismissed a few months later.  He then worked as a reporter for the San Fernando Sun-Record before deciding that journalism was not his field either.  Uncertain as to what he wanted to do, Alan wandered through a variety of jobs such as salesman, store clerk and short-order cook before he chose to register at the Ben Bard School of Acting.  A short time later, he managed to get a few acting parts in radio and motion pictures until the turning point of his career came when he met and married Sue Carol in 1942.  A former actress who had turned agent for film players, Miss Carol had first heard Alan on the radio and was impressed with his voice.  

After their marriage, she concentrated on getting him a good part and succeeded in convincing director Frank Tuttle at Paramount to give Alan a break.  This resulted in Alan’s winning the coveted role of the cold-blooded killer “Raven” in This Gun For Hire.  Released in 1942, the picture was a smash hit and Alan Ladd was an overnight sensation.  Paramount quickly signed him to a contract and gave him the choicest roles in a series of films that were all very successful.

Having catapulted to fame, Alan became one of the ten biggest money-making stars in the movies.  He was such a hit that other studios where he had previously worked promptly re-released all the old films in which he had played minor parts, making certain to call attention to the fact that Alan Ladd was in the cast.  It took very little time for Paramount to realize that the name of their new star on a theatre marquee was enough to insure a big profit at the box-office.

With the Second World War at its peak, Alan's career was temporarily interrupted while he served as a machine-gunner with the U.S. Air Force.  After he was discharged as a sergeant, he returned to his studio to start where he had left off.  Fortunately, movie fans had not forgotten him and he quickly resumed his position as a leading motion picture idol.  He remained with Paramount until 1952, then became a free-lance player, appearing in films for Warners, Universal, Columbia, M-G-M and 20th Century Fox.  In later years, Alan organized his own Jaguar Productions and was one of the few screen personalities who chose to appear in a picture for a percentage of the gross profits rather than take a flat salary.

Although he was known primarily as a tough, two-fisted he-man in all sorts of adventure films, Alan began to lean more towards Westerns after starring in his first “sagebrush thriller” in 1948.  It was then that he had made a picture called Whispering Smith, which allowed him to display his talents as a cowboy.  His genuine love for horses and the outdoor life became evident as he brought more Westerns that are exciting to the screen.  In 1953, his memorable performance of Shane brought him the praise of critics and audiences alike and the picture became an all-time classic.

Alan was in the process of completing plans to star in a sequel to his last picture, The Carpetbaggers, when he died at his Palm Springs, California home.  He was survived by his wife, Sue, their children Alana and David, a step-daughter, Carol, and a son, Alan, Jr. by a previous marriage.  He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.