Alan Ladd, Jr. (born October 22, 1937 in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
, USA) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film industry executive and producer. He is famous for giving
George LucasGeorge Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, director and chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd. He is best known for being the creator of the epic sci-fi franchise Star Wars and joint creator of the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
the go-ahead to make
Star WarsStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released simply as Star Wars, is an American 1977 space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films continue the story, while a prequel trilogy contributes...
. He is the son of actor
Alan LaddAlan Walbridge Ladd was an American film actor.-Early life:Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas to an American father and an English-American mother . His father died when the boy was four, and his mother relocated to Oklahoma City, where she married Jim Beavers, a housepainter...
.
Ladd received the 2,348th star on the
Hollywood Walk of FameThe Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment museum...
on Friday, September 28, 2007.
He started in films as an agent in 1963. In 1969, Ladd moved to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
to produce, making nine films. He returned to the States in 1973 to become Head of Creative Affairs at
20th Century FoxTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation , also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox, is one of the six major American film studios...
.
Within three very successful years Ladd was President of Fox.
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Alan Ladd, Jr. (born October 22, 1937 in
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
, USA) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film industry executive and producer. He is famous for giving
George LucasGeorge Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, director and chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd. He is best known for being the creator of the epic sci-fi franchise Star Wars and joint creator of the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
the go-ahead to make
Star WarsStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released simply as Star Wars, is an American 1977 space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films continue the story, while a prequel trilogy contributes...
. He is the son of actor
Alan LaddAlan Walbridge Ladd was an American film actor.-Early life:Ladd was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas to an American father and an English-American mother . His father died when the boy was four, and his mother relocated to Oklahoma City, where she married Jim Beavers, a housepainter...
.
Ladd received the 2,348th star on the
Hollywood Walk of FameThe Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment museum...
on Friday, September 28, 2007.
He started in films as an agent in 1963. In 1969, Ladd moved to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
to produce, making nine films. He returned to the States in 1973 to become Head of Creative Affairs at
20th Century FoxTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation , also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox, is one of the six major American film studios...
.
Within three very successful years Ladd was President of Fox.
Star Wars and
AlienAlien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto...
were a few of the classics during his tenure. But in 1979 Ladd left his position to found his own production company,
The Ladd CompanyThe Ladd Company is a film production and distribution company founded by Alan Ladd, Jr. in 1979, after ending his job as President of 20th Century Fox...
. He enjoyed great successes with comedies like
Night ShiftA night shift is either a group of workers who work during the night, or the period in which they work. See shift work.Night Shift may also refer to:* Night Shift , a fictional team of supervillains in the Marvel Universe...
and
Police AcademyPolice Academy is a series of comedy films, the first six of which were made in the 1980s. The seventh and to date last installment, Mission to Moscow, was released in 1994. The series opened with Police Academy which started with the premise that a new mayor had announced a policy requiring the...
and Oscar Winners
The Right Stuff and Best Picture,
Chariots of FireChariots of Fire is a 1981 British film loosely based on historical events surrounding the British athletic team before and during the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris...
. The company also produced the cult classic
Blade RunnerBlade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick...
.
In 1985, Ladd joined MGM/UA, eventually becoming Chairman and CEO of
PathéThis article deals with the Pathé movie company. For their music business, see Pathé Records.Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
Entertainment. During his tenure MGM/UA enjoyed hits like
A Fish Called WandaA Fish Called Wanda is a comedy film written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton and directed by Charles Crichton and John Cleese , and starring Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin...
,
MoonstruckMoonstruck is a 1987 romantic comedy film directed by Norman Jewison. The movie was released on December 18, 1987, and earned largely positive reviews from critics...
, and
Thelma & Louise. Ladd reformed the Ladd Company with
Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures Corporation is a Worldwide American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is the world's oldest existing American film studio; it is also the last...
in 1993 where he produced the hits
The Brady Bunch MovieThe Brady Bunch Movie is a 1995 comedy film adaptation of the 1969-1974 television series The Brady Bunch.The film features all the original regular characters, all played by new actors...
and Best Picture Winner
BraveheartBraveheart is a 1995 Academy-award winning historical action-drama film produced and directed by Mel Gibson, who also starred in the title role. The film was written for screen and then novelized by Randall Wallace...
.
Ladd is now producing independently with The Ladd Company.