Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
The Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd has died aged 89.
This star, whose filmography spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in Ojai, California. The news was revealed through a message shared by her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with her mother in a number of films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my amazing hero as well as my special gift as a mother”, stating that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative as well as compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Initial Roles and Major Success
The start of her career featured supporting roles in television programs such as Gunsmoke while the 1970s featured her performing alongside Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a sitcom inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she earned an additional best supporting actress nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she obtained another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.
“This movie that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and an event in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”
That decade also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as the mother of Dern again. Those years also brought her Emmy nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
Ladd also wrote and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck that included her and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. In fact, I am the sole female ever to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
Ladd was also a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence in my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and advised her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely when her daughter moved her to a new hospital.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.
