Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd has died 89 years old.
This star, with roles included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed in a statement by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in various films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero as well as my precious gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist along with compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Major Success
Ladd’s early career featured supporting roles on television series such as Gunsmoke and that decade saw her starring alongside Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she was seen in crime thriller the movie Black Widow plus comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a comedy program based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she received a further best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The next year she obtained another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.
“This was the picture which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited me and Laura to London for a royal premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”
The nineties included parts in comedy Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom once more. Those years also earned her Emmy nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She continued to star with her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and Mike White’s comedy-drama series the program Enlightened. She also appeared alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and helmed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck which starred her and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Indeed, I am the sole female in history to direct her ex-husband. 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, whom she described as “a major inspiration in my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and told she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely once her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd said.
