Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died aged 89.
The actress, whose roles included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. This announcement was announced via an announcement by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mother in several movies like Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero as well as my profound gift of a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist as well as compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
The start of her career saw minor parts on television series like The Fugitive and the 1970s saw her starring next to Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the show Alice, a sitcom derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she earned a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mother of her biological child the character played by Dern. The next year she was awarded a further nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which included Dern.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew me and Laura to England for a premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”
The nineties also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She additionally starred next to Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles included Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred her and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Indeed, I am the sole female ever to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
Ladd was also a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence on my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and informed she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely once her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, instead apply it to investigate, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.