Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89.
The Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd left us 89 years old.
The actress, with credits included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in Ojai, California. The news was revealed via an announcement from her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in a number of films including Wild at Heart, described her as “my amazing hero and my precious gift of a mother”, writing that she was present as she died.
“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years featured minor parts on television series including Gunsmoke whereas the 1970s had her appearing alongside Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
Later Decades
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as humorous film Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she earned a further supporting actress nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her biological child Dern’s character. The next year she obtained another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited Laura and I to the UK for a premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”
The nineties included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern again. That period also saw her score TV award nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She continued to star alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened. She was also seen with actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She additionally penned and oversaw the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck that included her and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Family Ties
She was additionally a family member of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact 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 once her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead apply it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
