Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at the Age of 89.
The Oscar-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.
This actor, whose roles included Chinatown, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. The news was announced via an announcement shared by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Dern, who appeared with her mom in a number of films such as Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero as well as my precious gift of a mother”, writing that she was present as she died.
“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist along with caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Major Success
Her initial acting years saw supporting roles in television programs such as The Fugitive and that decade saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
In the 1980s, she appeared in the thriller Black Widow and comedy sequel Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a television series based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she received another supporting actress nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her actual daughter Dern’s character. A year later she was awarded a further nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.
“This was the picture which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited Laura and I to England for a special screening and an event in our honor,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”
The nineties also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed the mother of Dern again. Those years also saw her score TV award nominations for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her later TV roles consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Indeed, I am the sole female in history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Family Ties
She happened to be a family member of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact in my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and told she only had half a year left but made a full recovery after her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
