Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
This Oscar-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd left us 89 years old.
The actor, whose credits spanned Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. The news was revealed in a statement by her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Dern, who starred with her mother in various films like Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero and my profound gift of a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist as well as caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Beginnings and Major Success
Her initial acting years included small roles in television programs like Perry Mason while the seventies had her appearing alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she starred in the thriller the movie Black Widow and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a comedy program derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she was given an additional best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mom of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she received another nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew Laura and I to London for a premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”
The 1990s featured performances in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom another time. The decade also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star alongside her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
Ladd also wrote and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck that included herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. In fact, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Family Ties
She was additionally the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.
In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and advised she had just six months to live but made a full recovery after her daughter moved her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead use it to explore, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
