Alan Ladd Jr. The Man Who Saved Star Wars Has Died At 84

Alan Ladd Jr., the famed Hollywood producer and studio executive who saved Star Wars when Fox wanted to close down production but gained vindication when he received an Oscar for Braveheart after being dropped by MGM, has died. He was 84.

With great success, Ladd drove production at Fox, Pathe Entertainment, and MGM (in two different stints) and operated his own outfit, The Ladd Co. His daughter Amanda Ladd-Jones said:

“With the heaviest of hearts, we announce that on March 2, 2022, Alan Ladd, Jr. died peacefully at home surrounded by his family,” she wrote on social media. “Words cannot express how deeply he will be missed. His impact on films and filmmaking will live on in his absence.”

Fox produced some of its most successful films during Ladd’s time there, including Star Wars (1977), which he optioned once Universal rejected it. Instead, Ladd helped promote George Lucas’ movie against the judgment of Fox’s board of directors, and the film became one of the most profitable movies in history.

“The only meeting I had with Laddie about the script … he said, ‘Look, it doesn’t make any sense to me whatsoever, but I trust you. Go ahead and make it.’ That was just honest,” Lucas once said. “I mean, it was a crazy movie. Now you can see it, know what it is, but before you could see it, there wasn’t anything like it. You couldn’t explain it. You know … it was like this furry dog driving a space ship. I mean, what is that?”

Many folks could argue that without Alan Ladd Jr., there would never have been a Star Wars. When no one else supported Goerge’s idea of a space opera mixed with Flash Gordon, samurai movies, and cruising down the boulevard in a hot rod, Laddie was there pushing for Star Wars to happen. As much as George Lucas was the creator, Alad Ladd Jr. was the quiet force behind the scenes.