Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
The Academy Award-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd has died aged 89.
The star, whose credits featured Chinatown, died at her home in California’s Ojai. The news was shared in a statement shared by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in several movies including Wild at Heart, described her as “my amazing hero and my special gift of a mother”, stating that she was present when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative along with compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
The start of her career included small roles in TV shows such as Perry Mason and the seventies had her appearing next to Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she starred in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow as well as comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and appeared on Alice, a television series based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her biological child the character played by Dern. The following year she obtained an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
The nineties featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother again. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She continued to star with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck which starred her and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Indeed, I’m the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
She was additionally a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration in my life”.
In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and told she had just six months to live but made a full recovery after her daughter moved her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, rather utilize it to discover, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
