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Alan Ladd
One of the handsomest of the film noir leading men, Alan Ladd was famous for his brooding, tough guy roles. He originally came from Arkansas, but after his father died, his mother moved them to Oklahoma City and then California. In California, he had his own burger joint and got into radio acting. When he was cast as a hired killer (with feelings) in "This Gun For Hire", he became instantly popular. He was always a small guy, around 5'5". He costarred with Veronica Lake in several films. She was a petite number herself at 5'2". The following are film noir roles in which Ladd has played: In This Gun For Hire (1942), he plays Phillip Raven, a hired killer with a soft spot for kitties. He is doublecrossed by his latest client (Veronica Lake) who is his subsequent downfall. In The Glass Key (1942), Ladd plays Ed Beaumont, a man rising in politics who gets tangled up with murder, a gambling racket and his boss' woman. The Blue Dahlia (1949) features Ladd as Johnny Morrison, a man who comes home from the war to find his wife has cheated on him. After leaving her, she is killed and he becomes the prime suspect. In Calcutta (1947), he is Neale Gordon, an airline pilot trying to discover who killed his buddy. He is particularly misogynistic in this film as made evident towards Virginia (Gail Russell). In Appointment With Danger (1951), he plays Al Goddard, a tough guy inspector working for the U.S. Postal Service.
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