Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died aged 89.
The actor, with filmography included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared in a statement by her daughter, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who starred with Diane Ladd in several movies like Wild at Heart, described her as “my wonderful hero and my precious gift being my mom”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative as well as compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Major Success
Her initial acting years included small roles on television series like Gunsmoke whereas the seventies featured her performing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Subsequent Years
Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow and humorous film Christmas Vacation and appeared on the show Alice, a sitcom based on her earlier movie.
In the following decade, she was given a further supporting actress nomination for her role in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her biological child Dern’s character. The next year she was awarded another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred her daughter.
“This was the film which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and an event for us,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
That decade also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom another time. That period also earned her TV award nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She kept appearing alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and Mike White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She was also seen with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts included Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film which starred herself and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Actually, I’m the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
She happened to be a relative of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact throughout my life”.
In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and told her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely once her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead use it to explore, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
