Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
This Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd has died 89 years old.
This star, with credits included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared via an announcement from her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mother in several movies like Rambling Rose, called her “my incredible hero as well as my special gift being my mom”, stating that she was present as she died.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist and empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Initial Roles and Rise to Fame
Ladd’s early career saw small roles on television series like Perry Mason while the seventies had her appearing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the show Alice, a television series inspired by her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she earned another best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mom of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The next year she received an additional nod for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured Dern.
“This movie which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited Laura and I to London for a premiere and an event for us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
That decade included parts in comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom again. That period also earned her TV award nominations for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show the program Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck that included her and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Indeed, I am the sole female in history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration in my life”.
In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and informed she only had half a year left but made a full recovery when her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to discover, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd said.
