Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This award-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us aged 89.
The actor, whose filmography featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was announced in a statement by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with her mom in several movies such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my incredible hero and my profound gift of a mother”, noting that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist as well as caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career featured minor parts in television programs such as The Fugitive and the seventies featured her performing with Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a comedy program derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the parent of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she received a further nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Dern.
“This was the film that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited Laura and I to England for a special screening and an event in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”
That decade featured performances in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played the mother of Dern again. That period also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for work on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing alongside her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances featured the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck which starred herself and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him on a project. In fact, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
Ladd was also a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact on my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and informed her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery after her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead apply it to discover, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
