Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
The Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd has died aged 89.
The star, whose roles featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was announced via an announcement by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with her mom in several movies like Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero and my special gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative as well as caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
The start of her career featured small roles in television programs like Gunsmoke whereas that decade featured her performing with actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in Alice, a television series derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she was given a further supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she obtained a further nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited us to the UK for a special screening and an event for us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother once more. The decade also brought her Emmy nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film featuring herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Actually, I am the sole female in recorded history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Connections
She was additionally the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact in my life”.
In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and advised she had just six months to live but made a full recovery when her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
