Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd left us 89 years old.
This star, whose filmography included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. The news was shared in a statement by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mother in several movies like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my incredible hero and my precious gift being my mom”, writing that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Early Career and Major Success
The start of her career saw supporting roles in TV shows like Gunsmoke whereas the seventies had her appearing with Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she appeared in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a comedy program based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she earned another Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. A year later she received an additional nod for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which included Dern.
“This was the film that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought Laura and I to England for a special screening and an event for us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”
That decade featured performances in the comedy The Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother once more. The decade 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 continued to star with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and directed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck that included Diane Ladd and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact in my life”.
Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and told she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely once her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.
“If you can take your pain and not let it back up similar to a wound, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.
