Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
The Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.
The actress, with filmography included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. This announcement was shared in a statement by her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mother in various films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero plus my profound gift being my mom”, noting that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist along with empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Major Success
The start of her career featured minor parts in television programs such as The Fugitive while that decade had her appearing alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Later Decades
Throughout the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller the movie Black Widow and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a television series inspired by her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she received a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The next year she received another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited me and Laura to London for a royal premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”
The nineties featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Laura Dern’s mom another time. The decade also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She continued to star with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared next to actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her more recent television parts included Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
Ladd also wrote and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Indeed, I am the sole female in history to direct her ex-husband. 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 relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact throughout my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and advised she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely when her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, instead apply it to discover, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd remarked.
