Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated actress Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.
The star, whose roles spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. The news was revealed through a message from her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mother in several movies such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my incredible hero plus my special gift as a mother”, noting that she was present as she died.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist as well as empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years included small roles on television series such as The Fugitive while that decade had her appearing with Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a comedy program derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she was given an additional best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mother of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. The next year she received a further nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Laura Dern.
“This was the picture which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew us to London for a royal premiere and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”
That decade included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed the mother of Dern another time. The decade also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star with her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared alongside actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred herself and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Indeed, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
Ladd was also a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence in my life”.
In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and informed her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health when her daughter moved her to a new hospital.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
