Alan Ladd Jr., the Oscar-winning producer and studio boss who as a 20th Century Fox executive greenlit “Star Wars,” has died. He was 84.
Ladd died Wednesday, his daughter Amanda Ladd-Jones, who directed the documentary “Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies,” wrote in a Facebook post. No cause of death was given.
A former talent agent for stars like Robert Redford and Judy Garland, Ladd Jr. joined 20th Century Fox in 1973, and later became president. There, he greenlit George Lucas’ $10 million science-fiction film — the original script was titled “The Adventures of Luke Starkiller as Taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga 1, Star Wars” — when few in Hollywood saw any potential in it.
Even when the studio’s confidence wavered on “Star Wars,” Ladd kept his trust in what would become one of the highest grossing films ever made. His only false move may have been granting Lucas’ merchandising rights rather than a raise when “American Graffiti” became a hit. On his own, Ladd produced, beside “The Right Stuff” and “Blade Runner,” films like “Body Heat” and “Police Academy.”
When “Braveheart” won best picture, some saw it as the widely admired Ladd — Richard Donner famously once said “There are snakes in this business and then there’s Alan Ladd” — getting the last laugh.
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