Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89.
The Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away at the age of 89.
This actress, whose roles spanned Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. The news was revealed through a message from her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Dern, who appeared with her mother in several movies including Wild at Heart, described her as “my amazing hero plus my precious gift as a mother”, writing that she was present as she died.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Beginnings and Major Success
Her initial acting years saw minor parts in TV shows including The Fugitive whereas the 1970s had her appearing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow plus comedy sequel Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she was given a further supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her biological child Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded a further nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred her daughter.
“This was the film which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew me and Laura to London for a royal premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The nineties included parts in humorous films The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as the mother of Dern another time. Those years also saw her score Emmy nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts featured Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film featuring her and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Actually, I stand as the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”
Family Ties
Ladd was also a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence throughout my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and advised her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely when her daughter moved her to a different hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead use it to explore, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.
