Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
This Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd left us aged 89.
The actor, with filmography spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. The news was revealed via an announcement by her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in a number of films such as Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my wonderful hero plus my special gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
The start of her career saw small roles in television programs like Gunsmoke whereas that decade saw her starring alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
Throughout the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a television series inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she earned another supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mom of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. A year later she was awarded another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.
“This movie which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew us to England for a premiere and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also brought her Emmy nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She continued to star with Laura Dern in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened. She also appeared with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy the movie Mrs Munck featuring herself and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Actually, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Family Ties
She was additionally a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration in my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery when her daughter moved her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.
