Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
The Academy Award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.
The actor, whose roles included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed in a statement from her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mother in various films such as Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero plus my profound gift being my mom”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist along with compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years featured small roles in TV shows like The Fugitive and the 1970s featured her performing alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
Subsequent Years
Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow plus comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a television series derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she received another Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded an additional nod for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited Laura and I to London for a special screening and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”
That decade featured performances in comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Laura Dern’s mom another time. The decade also saw her score TV award nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred with Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She additionally penned and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film featuring herself and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. In fact, I stand as the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be a relative of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact throughout my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and advised she had just six months to live but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“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 triumphing,” Ladd said.
