Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at 89 Years Old.
The Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us at the age of 89.
The actor, with credits featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared in a statement from her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who starred with Diane Ladd in several movies including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero as well as my precious gift being my mom”, stating that she was present during her final moments.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist as well as caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career included supporting roles on television series including Perry Mason and the 1970s had her appearing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on Alice, a comedy program inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received a further supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the parent of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she received another nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included Dern.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought me and Laura to England for a special screening and an event in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
The nineties included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth where she played Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She continued to star with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts included the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and oversaw the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included her and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Indeed, I stand as the only woman ever to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Family Ties
She happened to be a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact on my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and told she had just six months to live but made a full recovery once her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“When you use your pain and not let it back up similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.