Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89.
The Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away 89 years old.
The star, whose roles featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. The news was announced in a statement by her daughter, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.
Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in various films including Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my wonderful hero plus my profound gift of a mother”, noting that she was by her side when she passed.
“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative and compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Initial Roles and Rise to Fame
Ladd’s early career featured minor parts on television series including Perry Mason whereas the 1970s saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
In the same year, the year 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
During the eighties, she starred in the thriller the movie Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in Alice, a sitcom derived from her earlier movie.
During the next ten years, she received an additional best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mom of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she received an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which included Dern.
“This movie that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought us to the UK for a special screening and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”
The nineties included parts in comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother again. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She continued to star alongside her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her more recent television parts consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and helmed the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. In fact, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”
Family Ties
She happened to be a family member of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and told she only had half a year left but she regained full health when her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead use it to discover, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.