Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at Age 89.
This Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd has died 89 years old.
The star, whose credits spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was announced in a statement from her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mother in various films like Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero as well as my special gift being my mom”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative along with compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Initial Roles and Major Success
Ladd’s early career featured minor parts on television series like Gunsmoke and the 1970s had her appearing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus humorous film Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she received an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she was awarded a further nomination for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the film which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought us to the UK for a royal premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
The 1990s also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom another time. That period also brought her Emmy nominations for work on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared with actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances consisted of the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
Ladd also wrote and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck featuring herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Indeed, I’m the only woman in recorded history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and informed she had just six months to live but made a full recovery when her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
