jtm says on 14/Jun/10
sorry i meant to say 5'6.

Parker says on 14/Jun/10
Frank2's estimate was 5'6 based on his mother working with Ladd in radio. His mother was 5'4 and wore 3 inch heels (putting her to 5'6), and she reported Ladd was taller (in shoes of course).

jtm says on 11/Jun/10
im gonna have to disagree with frank 2's 5'7 estimate. i would say 5'5-5'5.5 was more realistic.

Parker says on 10/Jun/10
Here's a good clip for all you height estimators out there. You only need to watch the first 2 minutes. Its a self confessed 5'5.5 Virginia Mayo (clearly in flats, which she always wore in Ladd films) in a line dance with Ladd.

Click Here

What is for certain, as Frank2 once eluded to,the film company went to great lengths to disguise Ladd's height. I doubt there is one man in that line dance scene over 5'7.

jtm says on 26/May/10
parker all i did was ask rob if he could have been 5'5. i also think 5'6 could have been possible but no more then that.

Parker says on 25/May/10
Here's a clip of Alan Ladd in full shot with 5'5 listed Dorothy Lamour. At the start of the clip (0.29) he is walking along with 5'11 William Holden before signing autographs. If people still think this guy was 5'5 or under after watching this clip, I give up.

Click Here

jtm says on 21/May/10
thanks for the information aleks.

Parker says on 21/May/10
Aleks says on 20/May/10
Shirley MacLaine who was 5' 7" peak (today, I don't know) says in her autobiography that she literally had to look down at Ladd and described him as "tiny".

Well, think I'd prefer the testament of an actress who actually appeared in a number of films with him (Virginia Mayo) and travelled to UK with him aboard a ship. Virginia described Ladd as about an inch taller than her own 5'5.5. I don't recall Shirley MacLaine ever appearing in a Ladd film.

Aleks says on 20/May/10
Shirley MacLaine who was 5' 7" peak (today, I don't know) says in her autobiography that she literally had to look down at Ladd and described him as "tiny".

Parker says on 18/May/10
jtm says on 15/May/10
rob do you think he could have been 5'5?

[Editor Rob: yes there's a chance]

A chance, but unlikely in my opinion with all the evidence posted here - I think 5'6 is a fair estimate.

jtm says on 15/May/10
rob do you think he could have been 5'5?

PatB says on 27/Feb/10
Th American male is about 5'9.5" with an SD of about 2.8". So if Alan Ladd was indeed 5'6" he was just about one standard deviation below normal. That's not all that short.

Height is normally distributed. By definition most of the men you see everyday will be one SD plus or minus of the mean. Alan Ladd was not odd or unusual in terms of height - unless he wanted to play basketball or act in the movies.

The problem he had is clearly seen in the bar fight scene in Shane. He was a slight guy. There really are men who can stand in the middle of a bar and fist fight with all comers. But they don't weigh 123 lbs. He looks small on screen because he is playing the part of a guy who would have to have been bigger in real life.

We also know from the statistics available from dating sites that women want partners who are tall or at least taller than they are. Guys 5'6" just don't do as well with the broads as guys who are 6' or more.

So Alan Ladd should have portrayed celibate accountants. Then no one would have ever remarked on his stature.

Parker says on 3/Jan/10
Kent - Yes, I watched the film recently, and there is no doubt they used every trick in the book to make Ladd look taller - in the scene where he moves away from Jean Arthur after the fight with Heflin, he steps onto a brick just prior to the 'goodbye' scene.

What they can't disguise is the dance scene - I'm sure Ladd had lifts in his boots, but by the same rule Jean Arthur had small heels on her shoes. She is listed at 5'3 and 5'4 on different sites, and Ladd looked 3 or 4 inches taller in the dance scene. I've seen a barefoot shot of him stood next to Elisha Cook Jr in footwear, who is listed as 5'5 in his army enlistment. I think 5'6 is a fair estimate for Alan - not the 'about' 5'7 family members have quoted, and certainly not the 5'9 the army listed him at on discharge.

Kent says on 30/Dec/09
There have been several comments here regarding Ladd in the movie Shane. Having seen this film recently, I noticed that Ladd is often situated in a way that makes him appear taller. In nearly every shot where he is inside Van Heflin's cabin, Ladd is standing near the door. The doorframe and the surrounding floor is a step above the rest of the room. And in the bar during the showdown, Ladd stands alone (he is frequently in shots by himself throughout the film) and is viewed upwards by the camera.

Parker says on 11/Dec/09
Here you go Dylan. Rob posted this back in 2005 after I'd sent him through a barefoot shot of Alan Ladd next to Elisha Cook Jnr in footwear.Ladd was marginally taller.

CelebHeights Editor says on 5/Aug/05
Parker showed me the photo of alan ladd and Elisha Cook Jr. Now, I do think Elisha at his peak may be a solid 5ft 5. Whilst the pic isn't conclusive I'd say maybe Ladd got short shrift by being described as 5ft 4 and 5 back in the golden era. 5ft 6, and possible a tad more is very realistic for this guy.

Here's a bit of Trivia on Elisha Cook from I M D B

Enlisted in U.S. Army on 15 August 1942. Height and weight at enlistment given as 5' 5" and 123 lb. Education given as three years of high school.

RisingForce says on 21/Nov/09
According to Edward Zwick, shoe lifts are still referred to as "Alan Ladds" in the movie business. Click Here

Dylan says on 12/Nov/09
Frank2 - I always heard that Alan Ladd was no more than 5'5" and as you say, alot of tricks were pulled in order for him to look taller. He wasn't 5'6" in my opinion.

Frank2 says on 10/Sep/09
Yes, Ladd was no more than 5'6". Paramount pulled a lot of tricks to hide it.

Here's Ladd with Bogart:

Click Here

Django says on 9/Sep/09
Man, some of the estimates here are getting absurd. Was Ladd really that short? According to some of these posters he was 4'-10' and wore ten inch lifts to make him 5'8". Give the guy a break.

guyfrommars says on 23/Jun/09
Hollywood was full of short guys back then, just as it is now. Bogart, Cagney, Ladd, Robinson... all wore lifts to appear taller on screen.

bill says on 17/Jan/09
sam, yes, there are people who barely shrink at all. My uncle is 82 years old, 6 foot, and was always that height.

Jane Doe says on 30/Dec/08
It surprises me how much fuss is made over Ladd's height when there were many actors about 5' 6'' or shorter. I can only guess that it was because he was a leading man and not of the gangster variety. As with most of the posts here I agree he was a fine actor and a unique one. I don't think anyone could have projected the enigma and pathos of the character of Shane as well as he did.

Kugar says on 26/Dec/08
Alan Ladd was 5"6" at the most. Before his movie career, his nickname in the thirties was "Tiny". But a fine actor which made him tall in the hearts of movie fans.

Parker says on 26/Aug/08
Absolutely agree with you Frank2. Ladd was the good looking hero in the Errol Flynn,Robert Taylor era. The leading man had to be significantly taller than the female interest. I think its a shame that nobody remembers Ladd as a great actor (as I believe he was) but more of the guy that stood on a box or his leading lady standing in a ditch,as Sophia Loren did in 'Boy on a Dolphin'. Reading the post by 'Richard'on 8th Feb regarding George Stephens Jr comments, Ladds 'Brother in Law's' comments in a recent Biography channel screening, and Virginia Mayo's estimate I think 5'6 give or take half inch is spot on.

Frank2 says on 25/Aug/08
There was difference when it came to height regarding Ladd compared to Cagney, Raft, Bogart, Robinson and Garfield. Warner Brothers never hid the fact they were all short. Cagney was barely 5'5". Raft was 5'7" as was Bogart. Robinson was only 5'4" and Garfield was about 5'7". But over at Paramount they went to great lengths to conceal Ladd's short stature. Ladd was more of a leading man and leading men were all supposed be at least 6'. I doubt he was more than 5'6". They pulled all kinds of tricks in SHANE. One reason I believe Ladd drank so much was he became sick and tired of being in situations where he was forced to stand on boards and wear huge elevator shoes. Whereas Bogie laughed at his, calling them 'lifts' which I believe was the first time that term was used.

GCM says on 25/Aug/08
Yes, it's impossible to tell from movies because they can tailor height as required. Hollwood will go to any lengths to accomodate people if they have "the look" Pretty faces sell tickets at the box office - allways have - probably allways will I guess - no denying that Ladd was a very handsome guy - that simple I think.
Gets back I guess to what has been mentioned here before - people who don't enjoy attention or privilage ( for instance those who aren't keenly sought out by the opposite sex ) get jealous and strike out using whatever they can.
I remember the stories about a trench being dug for Alan ladd when acting opposite taller leading ladies. These posts remind me that Veronica Lake was one of them and perhaps the one the story was about.
I remember also the suggestion ( and I think pretty much the accepted truth ) was that he become more and more addicted to the bottle and virtually consigned himself to the scrapheap.
Again if I remember correctly I think he and James Stewart and I think Gary Cooper were very very close.
I think Cooper and Stewart both tried to extricate him from his alcoholism without success and of course Cooper and Ladd died within 3 years of each other ( Cooper in '61 and Ladd in '64 I think )
Stewart was terribly hurt by their loss mourned them both very deeply. That's my memory of it but I stand to be corrected by anyone more knowledgeable.
It seems to me that in those days there was not such a focus on height. Indeed all the early gfilms were sort of strangely dominated by short guys - James Cagney, George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, Edward G Robinson, John Garfield and such.

JOSH says on 27/Jun/08
He did not look short atall in shane. He may have been built up to 5ft 8 or 9.
But he went below 5ft 6.