Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us at the age of 89.
The actor, whose roles featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in Ojai, California. The news was shared via an announcement shared by her offspring, award-winning actress Laura Dern.
Dern, who starred with Diane Ladd in various films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero plus my special gift being my mom”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.
“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
Ladd’s early career saw small roles in television programs including Gunsmoke and that decade featured her performing with actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
Subsequent Years
During the eighties, she starred in the thriller Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the show Alice, a comedy program based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she received an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mom of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she received a further nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which included her daughter.
“This was the film which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought us to England for a royal premiere and an event for us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”
The nineties included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern another time. Those years also earned her TV award nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She continued to star with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles included Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Filmmaking Ventures
She additionally penned and oversaw the comedy the movie Mrs Munck which starred her and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Actually, I’m the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Personal Life
Ladd was also a family member of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration on my life”.
Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and informed her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.