Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
The Academy Award-nominated performer Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.
This actress, whose roles included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. This announcement was shared via an announcement by her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in several movies including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my amazing hero plus my special gift as a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
The start of her career included small roles in television programs including Perry Mason while the 1970s featured her performing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow plus humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a comedy program derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she earned a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the parent of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. A year later she obtained an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.
“This was the film which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought me and Laura to the UK for a premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”
The 1990s included parts in humorous films The Cemetery Club joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as the mother of Dern another time. That period also saw her score TV award nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She kept appearing with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her more recent television parts featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Indeed, I’m 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.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
She happened to be a relative of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence on my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised she only had half a year left but she regained full health when her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to discover, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.
