Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
The award-nominated actress Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.
The star, with roles included Chinatown, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was announced in a statement from her daughter, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with Diane Ladd in various films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my incredible hero and my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside when she passed.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative along with empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Major Success
The start of her career saw small roles in TV shows such as The Fugitive and that decade saw her starring with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow and comedy sequel Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she was given a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mom of her biological child Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred her daughter.
“This movie that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought us to England for a royal premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played Laura Dern’s mom once more. Those years also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star with her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and oversaw the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a film. In fact, I am the sole female ever who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Family Ties
She was additionally the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration on my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and told she only had half a year left but she regained full health when her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd remarked.