Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at Age 89.
The Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us aged 89.
The actor, whose credits included Chinatown, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. The news was shared through a message shared by her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who appeared with Diane Ladd in a number of films like Wild at Heart, called her “my amazing hero plus my precious gift being my mom”, noting that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative and empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Beginnings and Major Success
Her initial acting years included supporting roles in TV shows like Perry Mason while the seventies featured her performing alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she starred in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story and humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she received another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mom of her biological child Dern’s character. The next year she obtained an additional nod for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured her daughter.
“This movie that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew Laura and I to London for a special screening and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”
The 1990s featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as the mother of Dern another time. Those years also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She continued to star alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She additionally starred next to actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Indeed, I’m the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
She happened to be a family member of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact throughout my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and told she only had half a year left but made a full recovery once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
