Claim: Alan Ladd was a performer.

Alan Walbridge Ladd -LRB- September 3 , 1913 -- January 29 , 1964 -RRB- 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 -LRB- 1953 -RRB- and films noir in which he was often paired with Veronica Lake , such as This Gun for Hire -LRB- 1942 -RRB- , The Glass Key -LRB- 1942 -RRB- and The Blue Dahlia -LRB- 1946 -RRB- . Other notable credits include Two Years Before the Mast -LRB- 1946 -RRB- , Whispering Smith -LRB- 1949 -RRB- and The Great Gatsby -LRB- 1949 -RRB- . 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 .