[2] After high school, she traveled with the band The Music Shop and played in venues in the United States Midwest before settling in Los Angeles in 1970.

[3] Ladd originally came to Hollywood to begin a career in music (she was known as "Cherie Moor" when she was the singing voice of Melody on Hanna-Barbera's Josie and the Pussycats animated series, and she also sang on the 1970 album of the same name).

[5] Ladd's big acting break came in 1977, when she was cast in the ABC television series Charlie's Angels, replacing star Farrah Fawcett,[6] who left the show after only one season to pursue a movie career.

Ladd had the lead role in the television series One West Waikiki (1994–96) and made guest appearances in other TV shows such as Charmed, Hope and Faith and CSI: Miami.

[14] In September 2000, Ladd starred on Broadway, taking over the title role from Bernadette Peters in a revival of Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun.

[15] On April 17, 2010, Ladd — along with her co-angel Jaclyn Smith — accepted the 2010 TV Land Pop Culture Award for Charlie's Angels.