Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89.
This award-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away aged 89.
The star, whose roles spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was announced via an announcement from her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in several movies such as Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero and my profound gift of a mother”, noting that she was present when she passed.
“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative along with compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Beginnings and Rise to Fame
The start of her career featured minor parts in TV shows like Gunsmoke while that decade had her appearing alongside Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on Alice, a sitcom derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she earned another best supporting actress nomination for her part in the David Lynch film the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The following year she obtained a further nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.
“This was the picture which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought us to London for a premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”
The nineties also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and the series by Mike White dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her later TV roles consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and helmed the comedy the movie Mrs Munck that included herself and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. In fact, I am the sole female in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration on my life”.
In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and told she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely after her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
