Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
The award-nominated actor Diane Ladd left us aged 89.
This star, with roles spanned Chinatown, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed via an announcement shared by her daughter, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mom in a number of films like Wild at Heart, called her “my wonderful hero and my profound gift as a mother”, writing that she was present when she passed.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative and empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career saw minor parts in television programs like Gunsmoke while the 1970s had her appearing with Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the show Alice, a comedy program derived from her earlier movie.
During the next ten years, she earned another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she received a further nomination for her role in Rambling Rose which also starred Laura Dern.
“This movie that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought us to England for a royal premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern once more. That period also brought her TV award nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She kept appearing with her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series the program Enlightened. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and directed the comedy Mrs Munck featuring her and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Family Ties
Ladd was also a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration throughout my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and advised she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely once her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
