Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
The award-nominated actor Diane Ladd left us aged 89.
The actor, with credits spanned Chinatown, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. This announcement was shared in a statement shared by her daughter, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.
Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in a number of films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my amazing hero plus my profound gift being my mom”, stating that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative and caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Initial Roles and Rise to Fame
The start of her career saw supporting roles on television series including Gunsmoke and that decade had her appearing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a sitcom based on her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she received another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she played the mom of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The next year she received an additional nod for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured her daughter.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew Laura and I to the UK for a special screening and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”
The nineties also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern again. That period also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and directed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film which starred her and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Actually, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
She was additionally a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration throughout my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and informed she only had half a year left 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 discover, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.
