Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
The award-nominated actress Diane Ladd left us aged 89.
The actor, whose roles included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was announced in a statement shared by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with her mother in several movies including Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero and my precious gift being my mom”, stating that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist along with caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Initial Roles and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years included minor parts in television programs including The Fugitive and that decade featured her performing next to actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.
That very year, 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
In the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the sitcom Alice, a sitcom derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
During the next ten years, she received a further best supporting actress nomination for her performance in Lynch’s Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her biological child the character played by Dern. The following year she received another nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the film which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited Laura and I to London for a royal premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”
The 1990s also saw roles in comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed the mother of Dern once more. Those years also brought her Emmy nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with Laura Dern in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.
Her later TV roles included Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Filmmaking Ventures
She also authored and helmed the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck which starred her and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. In fact, I am the sole female in history to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Family Ties
Ladd was also the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration in my life”.
During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and informed her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely after her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up similar to a wound, rather utilize it to discover, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.
