Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
This Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd left us aged 89.
The actor, whose credits included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. The news was revealed through a message shared by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in several movies including Rambling Rose, called her “my amazing hero as well as my special gift as a mother”, writing that she was by her side when she passed.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative and compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Initial Roles and Rise to Fame
Her initial acting years featured minor parts on television series including Gunsmoke while the 1970s saw her starring alongside Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the sitcom Alice, a television series inspired by her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she received a further best supporting actress nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she played the mom of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The next year she received another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.
“This movie that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew Laura and I to London for a special screening and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s included parts in comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom another time. That period also saw her score TV award nominations for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She continued to star alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck which starred her and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. In fact, I stand as the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
She happened to be a relative of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration throughout my life”.
In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and told her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.