Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated performer Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.
This star, whose roles spanned Chinatown, died at her home in Ojai, California. Her passing was revealed through a message by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mother in several movies like Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my amazing hero as well as my precious gift being my mom”, writing that she was at her bedside when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career featured supporting roles in TV shows like Gunsmoke and the 1970s had her appearing next to Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow and comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a comedy program based on her earlier movie.
In the following decade, she was given a further best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. A year later she obtained an additional nod for her role in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew me and Laura to the UK for a royal premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”
The 1990s included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother another time. That period also earned her TV award nominations for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She continued to star alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She was also seen alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her more recent television parts featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and oversaw the comedy film Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. In fact, I stand as the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Family Ties
She happened to be a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence on my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely once her daughter moved her to a new hospital.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead apply it to explore, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
