Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away aged 89.
The star, with filmography featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was announced in a statement shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in several movies like Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero and my precious gift of a mother”, stating that she was present as she died.
“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist along with empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years featured small roles in TV shows like Gunsmoke whereas that decade had her appearing with actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she appeared in the thriller the movie Black Widow plus humorous film Christmas Vacation while also joining Alice, a comedy program derived from her earlier movie.
In the following decade, she earned an additional best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mom of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The next year she received an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Laura Dern.
“This movie that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited us to London for a royal premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s featured performances in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom again. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She kept appearing with her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened. She was also seen with actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film featuring Diane Ladd and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. In fact, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
She was additionally a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact in my life”.
In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and told she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely when her daughter moved her to a different hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering like an injury, instead apply it to explore, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd remarked.
