David Ladd

David Ladd's professional career in Hollywood spans more than 40 years, beginning when he was a young boy performing in several films with his father, the legendary leading man Alan Ladd (his mother was actress Sue Carol). In the years since his first role, he has gone on to become a teenage film star, a senior production executive at MGM, and the producer of several studio films. He earned a degree in business administration from the University of Southern California (USC). He first began working in production for ABC Television, producing movies and variety specials. He then moved to Columbia as a creative executive, before partnering with renowned producer John Veitch. Ladd's first solo producing credit on a motion picture was on the Wes Craven thriller, The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988). Under his production banner, David Ladd Films, he produced MGM's A Guy Thing (2003), directed by Chris Koch (starring Jason Lee and Julia Stiles); and Hart's War (2002), the critically-acclaimed World War II courtroom drama (starring Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell and Terrence Howard). Previously, Ladd served as Executive Vice-President of production for MGM. During his nine years at the studio, he was instrumental in its resurgence, having supervised the development and production of numerous films, including Get Shorty (1995) (starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito); the courtroom thriller Red Corner (1997) (starring Richard Gere); Mulholland Falls (1996); The Cutting Edge (1992); and Untamed Heart (1993), among others.