Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away at the age of 89.
The star, whose filmography featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. This announcement was revealed through a message by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.
Her daughter, who appeared with her mother in various films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero as well as my precious gift of a mother”, stating that she was by her side when she passed.
“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist along with caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years included minor parts in television programs including Gunsmoke and that decade featured her performing with Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she appeared in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a comedy program inspired by her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she earned an additional supporting actress nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the parent of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she received another nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited me and Laura to London for a special screening and an event for us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”
The nineties included parts in humorous films The Cemetery Club joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother once more. Those years also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared next to actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She additionally penned and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film featuring her and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Indeed, I am the sole female in history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
She was additionally a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact on my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and told her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely once her daughter moved her to a different hospital.
“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead use it to explore, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd said.
