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Alan Ladd, Jr.

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Producer

The Resume

    (October 22, 1937-March 2, 2022)
    Born in Los Angeles, California
    Son of actor Alan Ladd
    Agent, producer, and studio executive
    President of 20th Century Fox (1976-79)
    Chair and CEO of MGM-Pathé Communications (1986-93)
    Formed the Ladd Company
    Producer or executive producer of ‘Tam Lin’ (1970), ‘Fear Is the Key’ (1972), ‘Police Academy’ (1984), ‘Vice Versa’ (1988), ‘The Brady Bunch Movie’ (1995), ‘Braveheart’ (1995), ‘The Phantom’ (1996), ‘An Unfinished Life’ (2005), and ‘Gone Baby Gone’ (2007)
    Other Ladd Company films include ‘Body Heat’ (1981), ‘Blade Runner’ (1982), and ‘The Right Stuff’ (1983)
    As a film executive, greenlit ‘Star Wars’ (1977), ‘Aliens’ (1979), ‘Moonstruck’ (1987), ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ (1988), and ‘Thelma and Louise’ (1991)

Why he might be annoying:

    His first job in show biz was as a stuntman in two of his father’s films.
    He ended up costing Fox millions of dollars in revenue when George Lucas’s agent asked for an increase in his director’s fee for ‘Star Wars’ and Ladd offered the merchandising rights to the film instead. (‘At the time merchandising meant nothing at all. ‘Jaws’ had some sharks but that was it.’)
    He used his clout to get his father removed from a list of Hollywood suicides recited by James Leer (Tobey Maguire) in ‘Wonder Boys.’ (2000)

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was progressive in hiring women and minorities for executive positions.
    He kept the Fox board of directors from shutting down production on ‘Star Wars’ when the film ran over budget and behind schedule.
    When he left MGM, he was allowed to take two projects with him. One of the two was ‘Braveheart,’ which would win the Oscar for Best Picture.
    Unlike the stereotypical producer, he was polite and soft spoken.
    Director Richard Donner said, ‘There are snakes in this business, and then there’s Alan Ladd, Jr.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 157 Votes: 52.87% Annoying