Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.
The actress, with filmography spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in California’s Ojai. The news was revealed through a message by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in various films such as Wild at Heart, described her as “my wonderful hero plus my special gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative as well as caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Major Success
Ladd’s early career featured minor parts on television series including Perry Mason while that decade saw her starring alongside Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a sitcom inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she received another Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mother of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. A year later she received a further nomination for her role in Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew us to England for a premiere and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd said about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
The nineties also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom another time. That period also earned 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.
Collaborations with Daughter
She persisted in performing with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred with actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and oversaw the comedy the movie Mrs Munck which starred her and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. In fact, I’m the only woman in recorded history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Life
She happened to be the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration on my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and told she had just six months to live but made a full recovery once her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up similar to a wound, instead apply it to explore, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd remarked.
