Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.
This Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.
The star, whose roles featured National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was shared via an announcement by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.
Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in several movies like Wild at Heart, described her as “my amazing hero plus my special gift of a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside during her final moments.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Beginnings and Breakthrough
Her initial acting years featured minor parts on television series including Perry Mason whereas the 1970s saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
During that year, the year 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.
1980s and Beyond
During the eighties, she was seen in the thriller the movie Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a television series based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she earned another best supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her biological child Dern’s character. The following year she obtained a further nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew Laura and I to England for a royal premiere and a party for us,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”
The 1990s included parts in comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern once more. The decade also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
Working with Laura Dern
She kept appearing alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series the program Enlightened. She additionally starred with Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and oversaw the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck which starred her and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Family Ties
Ladd was also the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact on my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised she only had half a year left but made a full recovery once her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.
“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, instead apply it to investigate, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
