Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89.
This award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.
The star, with roles spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in Ojai, California. This announcement was revealed via an announcement by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mom in various films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero plus my special gift of a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside when she passed.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years included minor parts in TV shows like The Fugitive and the seventies featured her performing with actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as humorous film Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she was given another supporting actress nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she received a further nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Laura Dern.
“This movie that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew Laura and I to England for a special screening and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
The nineties included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom once more. Those years also earned her TV award nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She continued to star with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Actually, I am the sole female ever to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and informed she had just six months to live but she regained full health once her daughter moved her to a new hospital.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead apply it to discover, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
