Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at Age 89.
The Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away 89 years old.
The actor, whose filmography spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed via an announcement by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with her mother in various films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero and my profound gift being my mom”, writing that she was present when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist along with empathetic spirit 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
The start of her career included small roles in television programs like Perry Mason whereas the 1970s saw her starring next to Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Subsequent Years
In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a sitcom based on her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she earned an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she played the mother of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she obtained an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which included Laura Dern.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought me and Laura to England for a premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
The 1990s also saw roles in comedy Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom another time. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
Ladd also wrote and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. Actually, I stand as the only woman in recorded history who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Life
She happened to be a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact on my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and told she had just six months to live but made a full recovery once her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, instead use it to investigate, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd remarked.