Alan Ladd Jr Dies Aged 84
Famed studio chief and film producer Alan Ladd Jr. Ladd has died at the age of 84.
Born on 22 October 1937, Ladd was the son of Shane actor Alan Ladd and he started his Hollywood career as a Hollywood agent in the 1960s. Moving to London in the late ’60s, Ladd produced a variety of films including Michael Winners The Nightcomers starring Marlon Brando. In 1976 he became the worldwide production head to the president of 20th Century Fox’s film division. It was during this time that Ladd had the foresight to give Star Wars the green light after it had been turned down by nearly every studio in Hollywood. At Fox he also shepherded films such as The Omen and Young Frankenstein through the production process and onto the screen.
Ladd produced such iconic films like Blade Runner, Chariots Of Fire, Police Academy, Braveheart (for which he won an Academy Award) and Gone Baby Gone. Over the course of his career, Ladd’s films earned more than 50 Academy Awards (including two Best Picture awards) and more than 150 nominations.
His daughter Amanda Ladd-Jones, who directed the 2017 documentary Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies announced his death on social media: “With the heaviest of hearts, we announce that on March 2, 2022, Alan Ladd, Jr. died peacefully at home surrounded by his family. Words cannot express how deeply he will be missed. His impact on films and filmmaking will live on in his absence’.
Alan Ladd Jr might not be a household name, but his place in Hollywood history is secure due to the impressive quality of films which he helped bring to the big screen.
