Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This Academy Award-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd left us 89 years old.
This actor, whose filmography featured Chinatown, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. The news was announced through a message by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Laura Dern, who starred with her mother in a number of films such as Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero plus my special gift as a mother”, writing that she was by her side as she died.
“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist and compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years saw small roles on television series like The Fugitive and that decade saw her starring alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
In the same year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she starred in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story plus humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she earned an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mom of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she received an additional nod for her acting in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought Laura and I to the UK for a premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”
That decade also saw roles in comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Dern’s mother again. The decade also saw her score Emmy nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and the series by Mike White dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck that included herself and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Indeed, I’m the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
She was additionally a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration on my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and informed she only had half a year left but made a full recovery once her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead use it to explore, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.