Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
This Oscar-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.
The actress, with roles included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was revealed in a statement by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Dern, who starred with Diane Ladd in various films like Wild at Heart, called her “my wonderful hero plus my profound gift of a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist along with caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”
Beginnings and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years included supporting roles on television series like The Fugitive whereas the seventies featured her performing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story and humorous film Christmas Vacation and also took part in Alice, a sitcom derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she was given a further best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the parent of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The following year she obtained another nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which included her daughter.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited us to London for a special screening and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as the mother of Dern once more. Those years also brought her Emmy nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She continued to star alongside her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series the program Enlightened. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Behind the Camera
Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck featuring herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Indeed, I stand as the only woman ever who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and informed her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely after her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead apply it to discover, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
