Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away 89 years old.
This star, with credits included Chinatown, passed away at home in Ojai, California. The news was announced via an announcement shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in a number of films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero and my profound gift as a mother”, stating that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist along with empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Beginnings and Major Success
Her initial acting years saw small roles in television programs like Gunsmoke and the seventies saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she starred in the thriller Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on Alice, a sitcom inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded a further nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Laura Dern.
“This movie that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought us to the UK for a special screening and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”
The 1990s also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother again. Those years also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for work on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Behind the Camera
Ladd also wrote and directed the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck featuring herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Actually, I’m the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.
In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health once her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead apply it to explore, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.
