Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
The Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died aged 89.
The actress, with credits spanned Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was revealed through a message by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in various films including Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero and my special gift as a mother”, noting that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative along with compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Initial Roles and Rise to Fame
The start of her career included small roles in television programs like The Fugitive while the seventies had her appearing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the show Alice, a television series inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she was given a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the mother of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The next year she received a further nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.
“This movie that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew me and Laura to England for a royal premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
That decade also saw roles in comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern once more. Those years also brought her Emmy nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She was also seen next to actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. Actually, I am the sole female ever to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact on my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and informed her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health after her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to discover, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
