Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at Age 89.

This Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died at the age of 89.

This star, with filmography featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. The news was shared in a statement by her daughter, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who starred with her mom in various films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero plus my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative along with compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Initial Roles and Major Success

Ladd’s early career featured small roles in television programs like The Fugitive while that decade saw her starring next to Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

During that year, the year 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she starred in the dramatic film Black Widow as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the show Alice, a television series derived from her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she earned another best supporting actress nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her biological child the character played by Dern. The next year she obtained an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.

“This was the film that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited me and Laura to London for a royal premiere and an event for us,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”

The nineties included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as the mother of Dern another time. That period also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She continued to star alongside her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She also appeared alongside actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She also authored and directed the comedy film Mrs Munck that included Diane Ladd and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. In fact, I stand as the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Family Ties

She was additionally a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.

In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and told her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely when her daughter moved her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
Tanya Webster
Tanya Webster

Mira Thorne is a seasoned journalist and political analyst with over a decade of experience covering European affairs and digital trends.