Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
The Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd has died aged 89.
The star, with credits spanned Chinatown, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. Her passing was announced via an announcement by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in several movies such as Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero plus my precious gift as a mother”, stating that she was present when she passed.
“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative as well as empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Rise to Fame
The start of her career saw minor parts on television series like Gunsmoke whereas the 1970s saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow as well as funny follow-up Christmas Vacation and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a comedy program derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received an additional best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the parent of her biological child the character played by Dern. A year later she obtained an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie which included Dern.
“This was the film which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew me and Laura to London for a premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
The 1990s also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club joining her again with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Dern’s mother again. That period also saw her score 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 the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film featuring her and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. In fact, I’m the only woman ever who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
Ladd was also a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact in my life”.
Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and told she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely after her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
