Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
The award-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.
The actor, with credits featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was revealed via an announcement from her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mom in several movies such as Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero plus my profound gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist as well as caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Initial Roles and Rise to Fame
The start of her career included supporting roles in television programs including The Fugitive and the 1970s saw her starring alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
In the same year, 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the show Alice, a television series derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she was given another Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she played the mom of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she was awarded another nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included her daughter.
“This movie that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew Laura and I to England for a royal premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”
That decade included parts in comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed the mother of Dern once more. The decade also earned her TV award nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She continued to star with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series the program Enlightened. She was also seen alongside actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her more recent television parts included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and oversaw the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. In fact, I’m the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration on my life”.
In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and advised her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely once her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead apply it to discover, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.
