Ladd became president and chief operating officer of MGM/UA Entertainment in 1983, resigning in 1988 to chair Pathe. The most notable films during Ladd's tenure at MGM/UA were "Moonstruck" (1987), "A Fish Called Wanda" and "Rain Man" (both 1988). In 1990, he became chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., during that time producing only one huge financial hit 1991's "Thelma and Louise", which grossed $45.3 domestically.
Ladd was ousted in 1993, to be replaced by Frank Mancuso, but was soon snapped up as a producer by Paramount. Concentrating less on studio politics and more on turning out individual projects, Ladd had his most notable success to date with the Oscar-winning "Braveheart" (1995), the Mel Gibson-directed epic set in 13th-century Scotland. Other Ladd films have included the successful "Brady Bunch Movie" (1995) and its enjoyable "A Very Brady Sequel" (1996), and the disappointing actioner "The Phantom" (1996).