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

The Academy Award-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.

The actress, whose roles spanned Chinatown, died at her home in Ojai, California. The news was revealed in a statement from her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter.

Her daughter, who starred with her mom in a number of films such as Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero and my profound gift as a mother”, writing that she was present when she passed.

“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative and compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”

Beginnings and Breakthrough

Ladd’s early career included minor parts on television series such as Perry Mason whereas the 1970s saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story plus humorous film Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a television series inspired by her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she received another Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her biological child the character played by Dern. A year later she was awarded another nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.

“This was the film which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought us to London for a royal premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”

The nineties featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club joining her again with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother again. That period also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She persisted in performing with her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show the program Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances consisted of the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Actually, I’m the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Life

Ladd was also the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact throughout my life”.

During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and advised her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery after her daughter transferred her to a different hospital.

“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead apply it to investigate, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.