Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The Oscar-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.
The actor, whose roles included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was revealed in a statement shared by her daughter, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.
Dern, who starred with her mother in several movies including Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero and my precious gift as a mother”, writing that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative along with empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
The start of her career featured minor parts in television programs such as Perry Mason whereas the 1970s saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she appeared in crime thriller the movie Black Widow plus comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and also took part in Alice, a comedy program inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the following decade, she received a further supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the parent of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she received an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose which included Dern.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought Laura and I to London for a royal premiere and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
The 1990s featured performances in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played the mother of Dern again. That period also saw her score Emmy nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Collaborations with Daughter
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her more recent television parts included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
She also authored and helmed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck featuring herself and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Indeed, I am the sole female in recorded history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Connections
Ladd was also the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration throughout my life”.
In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and told she had just six months to live but made a full recovery once her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.
