Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at 89 Years Old.
The Oscar-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.
The actor, with roles featured Chinatown, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. The news was shared through a message from her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Laura Dern, who starred with Diane Ladd in several movies like Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero as well as my special gift being my mom”, noting that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Major Success
The start of her career featured minor parts in television programs such as Perry Mason whereas the 1970s featured her performing next to Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
In the same year, 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a sitcom based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she received another best supporting actress nomination for her part in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mother of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The following year she received an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred her daughter.
“This was the film that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew me and Laura to London for a special screening and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”
That decade also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played the mother of Dern again. Those years also saw her score TV award nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts featured Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Behind the Camera
She also authored and directed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck which starred herself and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him on a project. In fact, I’m the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.
In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and informed she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely after her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
