Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.
This star, whose roles included Chinatown, died at her home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared in a statement from her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with her mother in a number of films like Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero and my profound gift being my mom”, writing that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative as well as empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Beginnings and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career saw supporting roles in TV shows including Gunsmoke whereas the 1970s featured her performing alongside actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
In the 1980s, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the show Alice, a comedy program derived from her earlier movie.
In the following decade, she received an additional best supporting actress nomination for her role in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she received an additional nod for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie which included Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited Laura and I to London for a special screening and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd said about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”
That decade included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother once more. That period also brought her Emmy nominations for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She persisted in performing with her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
Ladd also wrote and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film featuring her and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. In fact, I’m the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Life
She was additionally a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact on my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and informed her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.
