Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away 89 years old.
This actress, whose roles featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was announced through a message shared by her child, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in a number of films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero as well as my profound gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Beginnings and Major Success
Ladd’s early career included small roles on television series including Perry Mason while that decade had her appearing with actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller the movie Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining Alice, a comedy program derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the mother of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she received another nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which included her daughter.
“This movie that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew me and Laura to the UK for a royal premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The nineties included parts in comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother another time. The decade also brought her Emmy nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She kept appearing with her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her more recent television parts featured the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
Ladd also wrote and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him on a project. Actually, I’m the only woman ever to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration in my life”.
In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and informed her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely after her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and not let it back up similar to a wound, instead apply it to explore, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.
