Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
This Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd left us 89 years old.
The actress, with filmography featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in Ojai, California. The news was announced in a statement shared by her offspring, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.
Dern, who appeared with her mother in various films like Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero as well as my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside when she passed.
“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years included small roles in TV shows such as The Fugitive whereas the seventies featured her performing alongside actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
In the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller the movie Black Widow plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining Alice, a television series derived from her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she earned a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mother of her actual daughter Dern’s character. A year later she obtained a further nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew Laura and I to England for a special screening and a celebration for us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
The 1990s included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth where she acted as the mother of Dern another time. The decade also earned her TV award nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and directed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film featuring herself and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. In fact, I am the sole female in history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
She happened to be a relative of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence throughout my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and informed her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery once her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.
