Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.
The actress, with filmography included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed via an announcement by her offspring, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who appeared with Diane Ladd in various films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero as well as my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
The start of her career featured small roles on television series such as Perry Mason whereas the 1970s had her appearing next to actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
In the same year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the show Alice, a television series based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she was given an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she received a further nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited me and Laura to London for a special screening and a party for us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”
The nineties also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern another time. That period also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with Laura Dern 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 also appeared with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her more recent television parts consisted of Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film which starred her and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him on a project. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Family Ties
Ladd was also the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and told she had just six months to live but made a full recovery after her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.
