Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at 89 Years Old.
The Academy Award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.
The star, with roles included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was shared in a statement shared by her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mother in a number of films like Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero plus my special gift being my mom”, writing that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative along with caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Beginnings and Rise to Fame
Ladd’s early career featured minor parts in TV shows including Gunsmoke while the seventies saw her starring next to Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she starred in the thriller the movie Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining Alice, a television series inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she received another supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her biological child Dern’s character. The next year she was awarded a further nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which included her daughter.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew us to England for a special screening and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”
The nineties included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed the mother of Dern again. That period also brought her TV award nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She continued to star with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and directed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included her and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him on a project. Indeed, I’m the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Connections
She was additionally the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact throughout my life”.
During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and informed she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely after her daughter moved her to a different hospital.
“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead apply it to explore, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.
