Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89.
The award-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died aged 89.
This star, whose roles spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was shared via an announcement by her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.
Dern, who starred with her mom in several movies like Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero as well as my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative as well as compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
Ladd’s early career featured supporting roles in TV shows including Perry Mason whereas that decade saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Subsequent Years
During the eighties, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a television series derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she received another best supporting actress nomination for her performance in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she played the mom of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The following year she received an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which included Dern.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew Laura and I to the UK for a premiere and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern once more. That period 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 continued to star alongside her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series the program Enlightened. She additionally starred with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film featuring her and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Indeed, I’m the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
She was additionally a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and told her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health when her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“When you use your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead apply it to explore, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
