Alan Ladd worked in the film industry.
Alan Walbridge Ladd ( September 3 , 1913 -- January 29 , 1964 ) was an American actor and film and television producer . 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 ) . 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 . This Gun for Hire is a 1942 film noir , directed by Frank Tuttle and based on the 1936 novel ( published in America with the same title , and in Britain with the title A Gun for Sale ) by Graham Greene . The film stars Veronica Lake , Robert Preston , Laird Cregar , and Alan Ladd .