Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us 89 years old.
The star, with credits included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed in a statement shared by her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in a number of films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero as well as my profound gift as a mother”, noting that she was present during her final moments.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist as well as compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”
Beginnings and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years included minor parts in television programs such as Gunsmoke and that decade had her appearing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she appeared in the thriller Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining Alice, a sitcom derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received another supporting actress nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the parent of her biological child the character played by Dern. A year later she obtained another nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured Laura Dern.
“This movie which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought me and Laura to England for a special screening and an event for us,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s included parts in comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also earned her Emmy nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared with actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Filmmaking Ventures
Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. Indeed, I am the sole female ever to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
She was additionally the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact on my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and informed her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health after her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and not let it back up similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.
