Alan Walbridge Ladd 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 as she was one of the few Hollywood actresses shorter than he His popularity diminished in the late 1950s though he continued to appear in popular films until his death from cerebral edema in January 1964 Ladd was born in Hot Springs Arkansas but later relocated to North Hollywood California when his mother remarried He worked briefly as a studio carpenter as did his stepfather and for a short time was part of the Universal Pictures studio school for actors Intent on acting he found work in small theatres He had short term stints at MGM and RKO and eventually started getting steady work on radio Ladd began by appearing in dozens of films in small roles including Citizen Kane before reaching recognition for his 1942 appearance in This Gun for Hire invigorating Hollywoods desire for gangstercrime features His cool unsmiling persona proved popular with wartime audiences and he was quickly established as one of the top box office stars of the decade
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