Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 â January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in Westerns, such as Shane (1953), and in films noir. He was often paired with Veronica Lake in films noir, such as This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), and The Blue Dahlia (1946). Ladd also appeared in ten films with William Bendix; both actors coincidentally died in 1964.
Ladd briefly served in the United States Army Air Forces’ First Motion Picture Unit. Initially, he was classified 4-Fâunfit for military service because of stomach problemsâbut he later enlisted for military service on January 19, 1943. He was posted to the Walla Walla Army Air Base at Walla Walla, Washington, attaining the rank of corporal. He attended the Oscars in March 1943, and in September he appeared in a trailer promoting a war loan drive titled Letter from a Friend.
While Ladd was in the armed services, a number of films that had been announced for him were postponed and/or made with different actors, including Incendiary Blonde, The Story of Dr. Wassell, Ministry of Fear, and The Man in Half Moon Street. Paramount started promoting Ladd replacements, such as Sonny Tufts and Barry Sullivan. Old Ladd films were reissued with his being given more prominent billing, such as Hitler, Beast of Berlin. He was reportedly receiving 20,000 fan letters per week. The New York Times reported that “Ladd in the brief period of a year and with only four starring pictures to his credit… had built up a following unmatched in film history since Rudolph Valentino skyrocketed to fame.” In December 1943, he was listed as the 15th most popular star in the U.S.
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