Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
This award-nominated actress Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.
The actor, with filmography spanned Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was revealed in a statement by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mother in a number of films like Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my amazing hero as well as my profound gift of a mother”, noting that she was present during her final moments.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist and compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Major Success
Her initial acting years featured small roles in TV shows like Perry Mason while the 1970s saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she appeared in the thriller the movie Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the show Alice, a television series derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she received a further supporting actress nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her biological child Dern’s character. The following year she received a further nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred her daughter.
“This was the picture which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited us to London for a premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The nineties included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern once more. That period also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She additionally starred with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances consisted of Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and oversaw the comedy film Mrs Munck that included herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Indeed, I am the sole female ever who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Family Ties
Ladd was also a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration in my life”.
In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and informed her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health when her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up like an injury, instead use it to explore, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.