Alan Ladd - Personal Life

Personal Life

Ladd's mother was Selina Rowley, born Chester-le-Street County Durham, in late 1888. She used the stage name Ina Raleigh and emigrated to the USA in 1907, aged 19.

Ladd married a high-school acquaintance, Midge Harrold. Their only child, a son named Alan Ladd, Jr., was born in 1937. Ladd's stepfather died suddenly. Then his mother, who suffered from depression, committed suicide by poison.

In 1942, Ladd married his agent and manager, former movie actress Sue Carol.

Ladd owned properties in Beverly Hills and, in Palm Springs, Alan Ladd Hardware. His son by his first wife Midge Harrold, Alan Ladd, Jr., is a motion picture executive and producer and founder of The Ladd Company. His daughter actress Alana, who co-starred with her father in Guns of the Timberland and Duel of Champions, is married to the veteran talk radio broadcaster Michael Jackson. Another son, actor David Ladd, who co-starred with Ladd as a child in The Proud Rebel, married Charlie's Angels star Cheryl Ladd, 1973–80. Actress Jordan Ladd is his granddaughter.

As with many Hollywood stars, Ladd is sometimes described as either a social adherent to, or member of, the gay subculture. No indisputable evidence has been published in this regard, although a gay historian has speculated that Ladd's alleged 1962 suicide attempt and state of mind on the night of his death could have been influenced by questioning his sexuality. One should bear in mind that the historian is basing his speculations either on the theory that Ladd intentionally took his own life, which is unsubstantiated, or a theory that the questioning contributed to his insomnia. On the other hand, he had two wives, three children, and his only alleged extramarital affair was with actress June Allyson.

Reports of his height vary from 5 ft 5 in – 5 ft 9 in (1.65 m – 1.75 m), from his military records, with 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) being the most generally accepted today.