Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
This Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.
The star, whose credits spanned Chinatown, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was announced via an announcement from her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who appeared with Diane Ladd in several movies like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my amazing hero plus my profound gift being my mom”, writing that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist as well as empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Initial Roles and Major Success
Her initial acting years saw small roles in television programs such as Gunsmoke and the seventies had her appearing next to Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she appeared in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus humorous film Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she earned another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mother of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she was awarded an additional nod for her role in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.
“This movie that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew me and Laura to England for a royal premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
The nineties also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother another time. Those years also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her more recent television parts included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck that included her and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
She happened to be a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact in my life”.
In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and informed her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery once her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.
“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to discover, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
