Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
The Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died at the age of 89.
The star, whose roles featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was revealed through a message from her offspring, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who starred with her mother in several movies like Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero as well as my special gift as a mother”, stating that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist as well as empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career saw supporting roles in TV shows such as The Fugitive and the seventies had her appearing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story plus humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a sitcom derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she was given another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the parent of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. A year later she obtained another nomination for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured her daughter.
“This was the film which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought us to England for a premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”
The 1990s included parts in comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played Laura Dern’s mom again. Those years also earned her TV award nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her later TV roles featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred Diane Ladd and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. In fact, I am the sole female ever to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration on my life”.
In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and informed she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely once her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
