Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
The Oscar-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.
The star, whose roles spanned Chinatown, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. The news was revealed via an announcement shared by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Dern, who performed alongside her mom in various films including Rambling Rose, called her “my incredible hero plus my profound gift as a mother”, writing that she was present when she passed.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist along with caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Initial Roles and Major Success
Her initial acting years featured supporting roles in TV shows such as Gunsmoke while the 1970s featured her performing with actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow and funny follow-up Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a television series based on her earlier movie.
During the next ten years, she earned an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in Lynch’s Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the parent of her biological child the character played by Dern. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.
“This movie which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought Laura and I to London for a special screening and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”
That decade featured performances in humorous films Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played Laura Dern’s mom again. That period also saw her score TV award nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and the series by Mike White dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. In fact, I’m the only woman ever to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Family Ties
She was additionally a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact in my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and told she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely when her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
