Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
This Academy Award-nominated performer Diane Ladd has died 89 years old.
The actor, with filmography featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was announced through a message from her child, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with Diane Ladd in several movies including Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero as well as my special gift as a mother”, stating that she was present as she died.
“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist along with caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Beginnings and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years included minor parts on television series such as The Fugitive whereas the 1970s saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the show Alice, a sitcom derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she earned another Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the mom of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she was awarded another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought us to England for a special screening and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”
The nineties featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern once more. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film which starred Diane Ladd and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Indeed, I am the sole female in recorded history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Connections
Ladd was also a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact on my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and advised her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery after her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead apply it to explore, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.