Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away aged 89.
The actress, with roles spanned Chinatown, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. The news was shared via an announcement shared by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in various films such as Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero and my special gift of a mother”, stating that she was by her side as she died.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative and compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Major Success
Her initial acting years included supporting roles on television series including Perry Mason while the seventies had her appearing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow and funny follow-up Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a comedy program based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she was given a further supporting actress nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mother of her biological child Dern’s character. The next year she was awarded another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured her daughter.
“This was the film which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited me and Laura to England for a royal premiere and a party for us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
That decade featured performances in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern again. The decade also saw her score Emmy nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star with her daughter in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and directed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Actually, I’m the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Family Ties
Ladd was also a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration throughout my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and told she only had half a year left but made a full recovery after her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and not let it back up similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.
