Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89.
The award-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died at the age of 89.
The actress, whose roles included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. The news was shared via an announcement from her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mother in various films such as Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my amazing hero as well as my profound gift being my mom”, writing that she was by her side when she passed.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist along with empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Major Success
The start of her career included small roles in television programs like The Fugitive whereas the seventies had her appearing next to actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the show Alice, a comedy program based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she earned another best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her biological child the character played by Dern. A year later she obtained a further nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included Dern.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
The 1990s also saw roles in humorous films The Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother another time. That period also brought her Emmy nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star with her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She was also seen next to actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck featuring herself and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him on a project. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Family Ties
She happened to be the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a great influence in my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and advised she only had half a year left but she regained full health once her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead use it to discover, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.
