Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died aged 89.
The actor, with credits spanned Chinatown, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. This announcement was shared via an announcement from her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Dern, who performed alongside her mother in a number of films such as Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero plus my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative and compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
The start of her career included supporting roles on television series including The Fugitive and the seventies saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
During the eighties, she appeared in the thriller the movie Black Widow plus humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a comedy program inspired by her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she was given another best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The following year she received an additional nod for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the film which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited us to London for a royal premiere and an event for us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
That decade also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern another time. That period also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She persisted in performing with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her more recent television parts featured Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy film Mrs Munck which starred herself and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a film. In fact, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Family Ties
She happened to be the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence in my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd 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 avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to discover, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
