Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us aged 89.
The star, whose credits included Chinatown, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared through a message shared by her child, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with her mom in various films such as Wild at Heart, called her “my incredible hero plus my profound gift of a mother”, stating that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist and caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
The start of her career featured small roles in television programs like Gunsmoke whereas the seventies saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
In the same year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a comedy program based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she received a further nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.
“This was the film which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew me and Laura to London for a premiere and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s 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 Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom once more. Those years also saw her score Emmy nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Indeed, I’m the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration throughout my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and told she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely after her daughter moved her to a new hospital.
“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead apply it to discover, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.
