Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.
The actor, with credits featured Chinatown, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. The news was announced via an announcement by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who starred with her mom in a number of films like Wild at Heart, called her “my incredible hero and my precious gift of a mother”, stating that she was present as she died.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Major Success
Ladd’s early career saw small roles on television series such as Perry Mason while the seventies saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
Throughout the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a comedy program derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she received another Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film the movie Wild at Heart where she played the mom of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she received a further nomination for her role in Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.
“This movie that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited Laura and I to London for a special screening and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”
The 1990s included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Dern’s mother once more. The decade also saw her score TV award nominations for work on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred next to Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and oversaw the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck that included her and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a film. In fact, I stand as the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Connections
Ladd was also the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence in my life”.
In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and informed she had just six months to live but she regained full health after her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“When you use your pain and not let it back up like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
