Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at the Age of 89.
This Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd left us 89 years old.
This actor, with roles spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in Ojai, California. The news was revealed in a statement by her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mom in a number of films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero plus my precious gift being my mom”, noting that she was present as she died.
“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative along with compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career featured minor parts in TV shows including The Fugitive and that decade saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the show Alice, a television series based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she earned an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her performance in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she was awarded another nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which included Laura Dern.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew us to London for a special screening and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
That decade featured performances in humorous films The Cemetery Club bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth where she played Laura Dern’s mom again. Those years also saw her score TV award nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Collaborations with Daughter
She kept appearing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. Indeed, I’m the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
She happened to be a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact in my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and told her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and not let it back up similar to a wound, rather utilize it to investigate, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd remarked.