Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
This Academy Award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.
The star, with roles included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. The news was shared in a statement shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in a number of films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero plus my special gift as a mother”, writing that she was present when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist and compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”
Beginnings and Rise to Fame
The start of her career included small roles in TV shows like Perry Mason whereas that decade saw her starring with actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the show Alice, a television series based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she was given an additional supporting actress nomination for her performance in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mother of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she obtained another nomination for her role in Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew me and Laura to England for a special screening and an event for us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”
The 1990s also saw roles in humorous films The Cemetery Club joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother again. The decade also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Partnerships with Her 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 comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and oversaw the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck featuring herself and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. In fact, I’m the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
She happened to be a relative of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and told her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery once her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, rather utilize it to investigate, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
