Alan Ladd

Ladd1Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American film actor. Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas to an American father (Alan Ladd, Sr.) and an English-American mother (Ina Raleigh Ladd).
In 1942, Ladd married his agent/manager, former movie actress Sue Carol. It was at this point that Carol found a vehicle which made Ladd’s career, This Gun for Hire. His performance as a hitman with a conscience made him a sensation. alan_laddLadd went on to become one of Paramount Pictures’ most popular stars. A brief timeout for military service with the United States Army Air Force’s First Motion Picture Unit did not diminish his popularity. He formed his own production companies for film and radio and starred in his own syndicated series Box 13, which ran from 1948 to 1949.
Thanks to wise business investments, Ladd became a wealthy man, with properties in Beverly Hills and, in Palm Springs, Alan Ladd Hardware. His son by his first wife Midge alHarrold, (named Alan Ladd, Jr., although the correct appellation would be “Alan Ladd III,” since the son is actually the third in line with the name), is a motion picture executive and producer and founder of The Ladd Company. His daughter Alana is married to the veteran talk radio broadcaster Michael Jackson. Another son, actor David Ladd, who co-starred as a child with his father in The Proud Rebel, married Charlie’s Angels star Cheryl Ladd, 1973-1980. Actress Jordan Ladd is his granddaughter.
He was famous for his emotionless demeanor and small stature. Reports of his height vary from 5′5″ to 5′7″ (1.65 to 1.70 m), with 5′6″ (1.68 m) being the most generally accepted today.