Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died 89 years old.
The actor, with credits included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in Ojai, California. This announcement was shared through a message shared by her child, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mom in a number of films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero as well as my special gift being my mom”, stating that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist along with compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Rise to Fame
The start of her career included small roles in TV shows such as The Fugitive and that decade saw her starring with the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she starred in the thriller Black Widow plus comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a sitcom inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she was given a further best supporting actress nomination for her performance in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. A year later she received an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited me and Laura to the UK for a premiere and a party for us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
That decade also saw roles in humorous films The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as the mother of Dern once more. The decade also brought her TV award nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her more recent television parts consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck featuring herself and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. Actually, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Connections
She was additionally a relative of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and told she only had half a year left but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.