Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away 89 years old.
This actress, with filmography included Chinatown, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was shared in a statement from her child, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who starred with her mom in various films including Wild at Heart, called her “my incredible hero and my special gift as a mother”, stating that she was present when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative and caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Beginnings and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career included small roles on television series such as The Fugitive whereas that decade saw her starring alongside Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a television series inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she received a further supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the parent of her biological child Dern’s character. A year later she obtained an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the film which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought me and Laura to England for a premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
The nineties included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern again. That period also saw her score TV award nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Collaborations with Daughter
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her more recent television parts consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck that included Diane Ladd and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. In fact, I’m the only woman ever who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”
Family Ties
She happened to be the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact throughout my life”.
Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health after her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead use it to investigate, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
