Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.
The actor, with credits spanned Chinatown, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was announced through a message from her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Dern, who appeared with her mom in a number of films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero and my precious gift of a mother”, writing that she was by her side when she passed.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist along with empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
Ladd’s early career featured minor parts in TV shows such as The Fugitive and the seventies had her appearing next to Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the show Alice, a comedy program inspired by her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she received an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.
“This movie that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought Laura and I to London for a special screening and an event in our honor,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s featured performances in the comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as the mother of Dern once more. The decade also earned her TV award nominations for work on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Filmmaking Ventures
Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred her and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. Actually, I am the sole female in recorded history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Family Ties
She happened to be a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.
In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and told her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery when her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like an injury, rather utilize it to discover, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.
