Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
This award-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away at the age of 89.
This star, with credits featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was shared through a message from her daughter, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in various films including Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero as well as my profound gift of a mother”, writing that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist as well as empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Beginnings and Major Success
The start of her career featured minor parts on television series including Perry Mason whereas that decade saw her starring alongside Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a comedy program based on her earlier movie.
In the following decade, she earned another best supporting actress nomination for her role in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. A year later she was awarded a further nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought Laura and I to England for a special screening and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
The nineties featured performances in comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played Laura Dern’s mom another time. That period also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened. She also appeared with Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and helmed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Actually, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence in my life”.
Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and informed she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely once her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.
