Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at 89 Years Old.

This award-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.

The actor, whose filmography featured Chinatown, died at her home in California’s Ojai. The news was shared via an announcement by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.

Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in a number of films like Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my amazing hero and my profound gift as a mother”, stating that she was present as she died.

“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative as well as empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Beginnings and Breakthrough

Ladd’s early career featured small roles in television programs like Gunsmoke and that decade had her appearing with actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

Later Decades

During the eighties, she starred in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and comedy sequel Christmas Vacation while also joining Alice, a television series based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she was given a further best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she received another nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Laura Dern.

“This movie that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought me and Laura to England for a premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd said about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”

The nineties included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, with John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern another time. The decade also earned her TV award nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She continued to star with her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s comedy-drama series the program Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances consisted of Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She also authored and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film featuring Diane Ladd and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Indeed, I am the sole female in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration in my life”.

In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and told her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.

“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up like an injury, instead use it to discover, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.