Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89.
The Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.
The actress, with filmography included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in California’s Ojai. The news was revealed via an announcement from her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who appeared with Diane Ladd in a number of films like Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero and my precious gift of a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist as well as compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Major Success
Ladd’s early career included supporting roles on television series including Perry Mason whereas that decade saw her starring with Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow plus comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by her earlier movie.
In the following decade, she earned a further best supporting actress nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her actual daughter Dern’s character. A year later she obtained another nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Laura Dern.
“This movie that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew me and Laura to England for a royal premiere and an event for us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
The nineties included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern another time. That period also saw her score Emmy nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She additionally penned and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck, a film that included Diane Ladd and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a film. In fact, I am the sole female in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Family Ties
Ladd was also a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact on my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health when her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead apply it to investigate, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.
