Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.

The award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died aged 89.

This actor, whose filmography spanned Chinatown, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared in a statement from her offspring, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who starred with Diane Ladd in a number of films such as Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero and my special gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside during her final moments.

“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Initial Roles and Major Success

Ladd’s early career saw small roles in television programs such as Gunsmoke whereas that decade had her appearing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

During the eighties, she starred in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the show Alice, a sitcom based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she earned a further supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mother of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. A year later she obtained a further nomination for her role in Rambling Rose which included her daughter.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited Laura and I to London for a royal premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”

That decade also saw roles in comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She continued to star alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She additionally starred next to actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her more recent television parts included Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.

Behind the Camera

She additionally penned and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck which starred herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. In fact, I’m the only woman in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Family Ties

She was additionally a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration in my life”.

In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and told her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery when her daughter moved her to a new hospital.

“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead apply it to discover, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.