Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
This award-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away at the age of 89.
The star, with roles featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was revealed via an announcement by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in various films such as Wild at Heart, called her “my wonderful hero and my precious gift of a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside when she passed.
“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist as well as compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Beginnings and Rise to Fame
Ladd’s early career saw minor parts in television programs like Gunsmoke and that decade featured her performing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
In the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow and funny follow-up Christmas Vacation and appeared on Alice, a television series based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she was given a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film the movie Wild at Heart where she played the mother of her biological child the character played by Dern. A year later she received a further nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured her daughter.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew us to the UK for a royal premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
That decade featured performances in humorous films The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern once more. The decade also saw her score Emmy nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred Diane Ladd and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
She was additionally the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration in my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and advised her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.
