Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at Age 89.
The Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.
This actor, whose filmography included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was shared through a message from her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.
Laura Dern, who starred with Diane Ladd in various films like Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero plus my profound gift as a mother”, noting that she was by her side when she passed.
“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”
Early Career and Breakthrough
The start of her career included minor parts in TV shows including Perry Mason whereas the seventies had her appearing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
That very year, the year 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
Later Decades
Throughout the 1980s, she starred in the thriller the movie Black Widow plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a television series derived from her earlier movie.
In the following decade, she earned another supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her biological child Dern’s character. The next year she received an additional nod for her performance in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.
“This was the picture which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought us to London for a premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”
That decade featured performances in humorous films Cemetery Club joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern again. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing with her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She was also seen alongside actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.
Behind the Camera
She additionally penned and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck that included Diane Ladd and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him on a project. In fact, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
Family Ties
She was additionally a family member of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact throughout my life”.
Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised she only had half a year left but she regained full health when her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.
“When you use your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead apply it to explore, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.
