Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
This Oscar-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd left us aged 89.
The actor, with roles included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared in a statement from her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in various films like Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my incredible hero and my profound gift as a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative along with caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years saw small roles on television series including Gunsmoke and that decade saw her starring with Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
During the eighties, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a comedy program derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she was given a further best supporting actress nomination for her part in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her biological child Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded a further nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Laura Dern.
“This was the film which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew Laura and I to London for a special screening and a party for us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
The nineties featured performances in humorous films Cemetery Club joining her again with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also saw her score TV award nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She kept appearing with her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred with Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and directed the comedy film Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. In fact, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Family Ties
She was additionally a relative of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration in my life”.
In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health when her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.