Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at Age 89.
The Oscar-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.
The star, with credits spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. The news was shared through a message from her offspring, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mother in several movies such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero plus my precious gift of a mother”, noting that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist and caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Initial Roles and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years included minor parts in TV shows including Gunsmoke and the seventies featured her performing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the show Alice, a television series inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received another best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The next year she obtained another nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.
“This movie that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought Laura and I to London for a special screening and a party for us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
The nineties also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club joining her again with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom again. Those years also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She kept appearing alongside her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen with actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
Ladd also wrote and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film which starred Diane Ladd and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. In fact, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence throughout my life”.
Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health after her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, instead use it to discover, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd remarked.
