Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 â€" January 29, 1964) was an
American actor and film and television 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 noirish films such as This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key
(1942) and The Blue Dahlia (1946).His other notable credits include
Two Years Before the Mast (1946), Whispering Smith, his first Western
and color film, (1948) and The Great Gatsby (1949). His popularity
diminished in the late 1950s, though he continued to appear in popular
films, including his first supporting role since This Gun for Hire in
the smash hit The Carpetbaggers (1963), until his accidental death due
to a lethal combination of alcohol, a barbiturate, and two
tranquilizers.Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on September 3,
1913. He was the only child of Ina Raleigh (also known as Selina
Rowley) (November 25, 1888 â€" 1937), and Alan Ladd (1874â€"1917), a
freelance accountant. His mother was English, from County Durham, and
had migrated to the U.S. in 1907 when she was 19. His father died of a
heart attack when Ladd was four. On July 3, 1918, a young Alan
accidentally burned down the family home while playing with matches.
His mother moved to Oklahoma City, where she married Jim Beavers, a
house painter (d. 1936).
American actor and film and television 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 noirish films such as This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key
(1942) and The Blue Dahlia (1946).His other notable credits include
Two Years Before the Mast (1946), Whispering Smith, his first Western
and color film, (1948) and The Great Gatsby (1949). His popularity
diminished in the late 1950s, though he continued to appear in popular
films, including his first supporting role since This Gun for Hire in
the smash hit The Carpetbaggers (1963), until his accidental death due
to a lethal combination of alcohol, a barbiturate, and two
tranquilizers.Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on September 3,
1913. He was the only child of Ina Raleigh (also known as Selina
Rowley) (November 25, 1888 â€" 1937), and Alan Ladd (1874â€"1917), a
freelance accountant. His mother was English, from County Durham, and
had migrated to the U.S. in 1907 when she was 19. His father died of a
heart attack when Ladd was four. On July 3, 1918, a young Alan
accidentally burned down the family home while playing with matches.
His mother moved to Oklahoma City, where she married Jim Beavers, a
house painter (d. 1936).
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