Alan Ladd worked in the film industry.
Alan Ladd . Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s , particularly in Westerns such as Shane ( 1953 ) and films noir in which he was often paired with Veronica Lake , such as This Gun for Hire ( 1942 ) , The Glass Key ( 1942 ) and The Blue Dahlia ( 1946 ) . Other notable credits include Two Years Before the Mast ( 1946 ) , Whispering Smith ( 1949 ) and The Great Gatsby ( 1949 ) . This Gun for Hire . The film stars Veronica Lake , Robert Preston , Laird Cregar , and Alan Ladd .