Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated performer Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.
This actress, with filmography included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. This announcement was shared via an announcement shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in a number of films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero and my special gift being my mom”, writing that she was present when she passed.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative as well as compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Major Success
Ladd’s early career included small roles in TV shows like Perry Mason while that decade had her appearing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
Throughout the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in Alice, a sitcom based on 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 David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the parent of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The next year she obtained an additional nod for her role in the film Rambling Rose which included her daughter.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought me and Laura to London for a premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”
The 1990s also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern another time. The decade also earned her Emmy nominations for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and directed the comedy film Mrs Munck featuring her and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Actually, I am the sole female ever who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration throughout my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and informed she had just six months to live but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, rather utilize it to discover, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.
