Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Alan Ladd

Highest Rated: 100% The Blue Dahlia (1946)

Lowest Rated: 33% The Great Gatsby (1949)

Birthday: Sep 3, 1913

Birthplace: Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA

A stoic, masculine icon despite his diminutive frame, Alan Ladd became an overnight star by playing Raven, a sensitive hit man, in "This Gun for Hire" (1942). His soft-spoken strength set him apart from his less subtle peers, instantly endearing him to audiences who admired his new brand of onscreen masculinity. During the 1940s, Ladd one of the era's top box office draws for many years. Frequently cast opposite Veronica Lake, he scored with the noir smashes "The Glass Key" (1942) and "The Blue Dahlia" (1946), in the adventure "Two Years before the Mast" (1946), and in the adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" (1949). His most iconic role came as the mysterious former gunslinger "Shane" (1953), considered to be one of the all-time greatest Westerns of all time. Ladd continued his streak of playing tough guys with films like "Hell below Zero" (1954) and "All the Young Men" (1960) opposite Sidney Poitier, and ended his career with a supporting turn in "The Carpetbaggers" (1964). After a lifetime of struggling with personal demons and a tumultuous childhood, the actor attempted suicide in 1962; on Jan. 29, 1964, he was found dead of an accidental drug overdose. His children, most notably film executive Alan Ladd, Jr., continued the family business. Although he rarely received the critical acclaim of many of his noir-era peers, Alan Ladd became one of the most popular movie stars of all time - a magnetic, unique performer who left a lasting mark on Hollywood in more ways than one.

Show Less Show More

Highest-Rated Movies

100% 72% The Blue Dahlia
Watchlist
97% 81% Shane Watchlist
94% 81% This Gun for Hire
Watchlist
88% 71% The Glass Key
Watchlist
83% 61% Whispering Smith
Watchlist
80% 62% Branded
Watchlist
33% 41% The Great Gatsby
Watchlist
33% 62% The Carpetbaggers
Watchlist
45% Great Guns
Watchlist
Beasts of Berlin
Watchlist

Filmography

Movies TV Shows
The Carpetbaggers 33% 62% 1964 Nevada Smith Actor 13 West Street 22% 1962 Walt Sherill Actor Duel of Champions 1961 Horatio Actor Guns of the Timberland 0% 1960 Jim Hadley Actor One Foot in Hell 29% 1960 Mitch Garrett Actor All the Young Men 48% 1960 Sgt. Kincaid Actor The Man in the Net 35% 1959 John Hamilton Actor Island of Lost Women 10% 1959 Executive Producer The Badlanders 37% 1958 Peter Van Hoek Actor The Proud Rebel 66% 1958 John Chandler Actor The Deep Six 14% 1958 Alexander "Alec" Austen Actor The Big Land 30% 1957 Chad Morgan Actor Boy on a Dolphin 45% 1957 Dr. James 'Jim' Calder Actor Santiago 1956 Caleb "Cash" Adams Actor The McConnell Story 42% 1955 Capt. Joseph C.`'Mac'` McConnell, Jr. Actor Hell on Frisco Bay 40% 1955 Steve Rollins Actor Saskatchewan 69% 1954 Thomas O'Rourke Actor Hell Below Zero 40% 1954 Duncan Craig Actor Drum Beat 6% 1954 Johnny MacKay Actor, Producer The Black Knight 1954 John Actor Shane 97% 81% 1953 Shane Actor Thunder in the East 1953 Steve Gibbs Actor The Paratrooper 17% 1953 Steve "Canada" McKendrick Actor Desert Legion 1953 Paul Lartal Actor Botany Bay 1953 Hugh Tallant Actor
Load More