Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89.
This Oscar-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd left us aged 89.
The actress, whose filmography featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was revealed via an announcement shared by her child, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who starred with Diane Ladd in various films such as Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero plus my profound gift as a mother”, stating that she was present when she passed.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative along with empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Initial Roles and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years featured small roles in TV shows like Gunsmoke and the seventies saw her starring next to Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a comedy program based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she received an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she played the mother of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew us to England for a special screening and an event in our honor,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The nineties featured performances in the comedy The Cemetery Club bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom another time. The decade also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She persisted in performing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her more recent television parts included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She additionally penned and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck that included herself and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Actually, I’m the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence on my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and informed she had just six months to live but she regained full health after her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead use it to discover, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
