Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at the Age of 89.
The award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died 89 years old.
The actress, with filmography featured Chinatown, passed away at home in Ojai, California. The news was revealed through a message from her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in various films like Wild at Heart, called her “my incredible hero and my precious gift of a mother”, noting that she was present during her final moments.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist as well as caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Major Success
The start of her career saw small roles in television programs like Perry Mason and that decade saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and humorous film Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she was given an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her biological child the character played by Dern. The following year she received a further nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which included Dern.
“This was the film that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought Laura and I to the UK for a premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club joining her again with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother another time. That period also earned her Emmy nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She persisted in performing with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts featured the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck featuring her and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him on a project. Actually, I’m the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
She was additionally a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact in my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and informed she only had half a year left but made a full recovery once her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead use it to investigate, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
