Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
The Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd has died 89 years old.
This actress, whose credits featured Chinatown, died at her home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was announced in a statement shared by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mother in several movies such as Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my amazing hero plus my special gift of a mother”, stating that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative as well as compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Beginnings and Major Success
The start of her career included supporting roles in television programs such as The Fugitive whereas the seventies saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow as well as funny follow-up Christmas Vacation and appeared on Alice, a sitcom inspired by her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she earned an additional best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. A year later she was awarded an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.
“This was the film that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought Laura and I to England for a premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”
The nineties included parts in comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Dern’s mother another time. That period also earned her Emmy nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She persisted in performing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred next to Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Filmmaking Ventures
She additionally penned and helmed the comedy the movie Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Actually, I am the sole female in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Life
She happened to be the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to investigate, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.
