Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away 89 years old.
The star, with credits featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in Ojai, California. The news was announced via an announcement from her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Dern, who starred with her mother in various films such as Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero and my precious gift of a mother”, stating that she was present when she passed.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist as well as empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years included small roles in TV shows such as Gunsmoke whereas the 1970s had her appearing alongside Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
Subsequent Years
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining Alice, a television series based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she earned a further best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The next year she obtained an additional nod for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew Laura and I to the UK for a premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s also saw roles in comedy Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as the mother of Dern another time. Those years also brought her Emmy nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She additionally starred next to Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and oversaw the comedy the movie Mrs Munck that included her and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Actually, I am the sole female in history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Family Ties
She happened to be a relative of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence on my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and told her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.
