Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at 89 Years Old.
The award-nominated performer Diane Ladd left us aged 89.
The actress, whose credits featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. Her passing was revealed in a statement from her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who performed alongside her mom in a number of films such as Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my amazing hero as well as my profound gift being my mom”, writing that she was by her side as she died.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist as well as caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years included minor parts in TV shows including Perry Mason whereas the seventies saw her starring alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.
Subsequent Years
During the eighties, she appeared in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she received a further best supporting actress nomination for her part in the David Lynch film the movie Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her biological child Dern’s character. The next year she received a further nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured her daughter.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”
The nineties also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother another time. That period also earned her Emmy nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She kept appearing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She additionally starred next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred her and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I was honored to direct him on a project. In fact, I am the sole female in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”
Family Ties
Ladd was also a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact in my life”.
In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and informed she only had half a year left but made a full recovery after her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.
“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like an injury, instead apply it to explore, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
