Alan Ladd was born in 1987.
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 ) . His popularity diminished in the late 1950s , though he continued to appear in popular films until his accidental death due to a lethal combination of alcohol , a barbiturate , and two tranquilizers .