Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.
This actor, with filmography featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. The news was shared via an announcement shared by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in several movies including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero plus my precious gift of a mother”, noting that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist and caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Initial Roles and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years included minor parts in TV shows including The Fugitive while the 1970s featured her performing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she was seen in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a sitcom inspired by her earlier movie.
In the following decade, she received another supporting actress nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mom of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. The next year she was awarded another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie which included Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited us to the UK for a special screening and a party for us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother again. That period also saw her score TV award nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series the program Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her later TV roles included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck that included Diane Ladd and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a film. In fact, I’m the only woman in recorded history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact in my life”.
In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and informed she had just six months to live but she regained full health after her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.
“When you use your pain and not let it back up like an injury, instead apply it to discover, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.
