Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
The Oscar-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.
The actor, with credits included Chinatown, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared via an announcement shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in various films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero as well as my profound gift being my mom”, noting that she was present as she died.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist along with caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Major Success
Ladd’s early career featured small roles on television series such as Perry Mason whereas the 1970s had her appearing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
In the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the show Alice, a sitcom derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she was given another Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the parent of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The next year she received another nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Dern.
“This was the film that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited us to the UK for a premiere and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
The nineties also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Dern’s mother once more. That period also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film featuring herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Actually, I stand as the only woman ever to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact throughout my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and informed she only had half a year left but she regained full health once her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.
“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
