This Gun for Hire

Multitudes of aspiring actors and actresses arrive in Los Angeles only to spend years working menial, low-paid jobs or acting in humiliating bit‑parts while waiting for the elusive “big break” that might make them stars. They may take comfort in the few examples of colleagues who endured the same ordeal and saw perseverance and patience pay off. Perhaps the best example is Alan Ladd, an actor who spent his youth wor…