Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.
This star, with credits featured Chinatown, died at her home in Ojai, California. This announcement was announced in a statement by her offspring, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.
Dern, who performed alongside her mother in various films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero plus my profound gift as a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist along with empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career featured small roles in TV shows like The Fugitive while the 1970s saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a television series derived from her earlier movie.
During the next ten years, she received an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the mom of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. A year later she obtained another nomination for her role in Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.
“This was the film that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited me and Laura to London for a premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
The nineties included parts in comedy Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother another time. Those years also earned her Emmy nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred next to actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances featured the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film that included her and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Indeed, I stand as the only woman ever to direct her ex-husband. 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 the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration in my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and told her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health when her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, instead use it to discover, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
