Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at Age 89.
This Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.
This actor, with roles included Chinatown, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed through a message by her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in various films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero plus my profound gift being my mom”, stating that she was by her side when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years featured small roles in television programs including Gunsmoke and that decade had her appearing next to actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in the thriller the movie Black Widow as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a television series based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she was given an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mother of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she was awarded another nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose that also featured her daughter.
“This movie that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited me and Laura to the UK for a royal premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
That decade also saw roles in comedy The Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern another time. Those years also earned her Emmy nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Collaborations with Daughter
She kept appearing with her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. In fact, I’m the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact on my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and informed she only had half a year left but she regained full health when her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to investigate, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
