Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd left us 89 years old.
This actor, whose filmography included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed via an announcement from her offspring, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Dern, who performed alongside her mother in several movies like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero and my profound gift being my mom”, stating that she was present when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative and caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years saw minor parts in TV shows like The Fugitive whereas the seventies had her appearing with actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Subsequent Years
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she was given another supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her biological child the character played by Dern. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.
“This movie which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited Laura and I to London for a royal premiere and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”
That decade also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom another time. Those years also earned her TV award nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film featuring her and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. In fact, I stand as the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
She was additionally a relative of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration on my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and advised her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health after her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, instead use it to explore, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
