Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
The Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away aged 89.
This star, with credits spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. Her passing was announced through a message from her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in several movies including Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero and my precious gift being my mom”, writing that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist as well as caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
Ladd’s early career included small roles on television series including Perry Mason and the 1970s featured her performing next to Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she starred in the thriller Black Widow and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a sitcom based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received a further best supporting actress nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mom of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she obtained another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose that also featured her daughter.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought Laura and I to England for a royal premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
The nineties included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom once more. That period also brought her TV award nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened. She also appeared with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts featured Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Indeed, I am the sole female ever to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
She was additionally a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a great influence on my life”.
In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and informed her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely after her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead apply it to investigate, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
