Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at Age 89.

This Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away 89 years old.

The star, whose roles spanned Chinatown, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. The news was announced via an announcement from her child, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who performed alongside her mother in a number of films like Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero plus my precious gift of a mother”, writing that she was by her side during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Beginnings and Major Success

Her initial acting years saw supporting roles in television programs including The Fugitive while the 1970s saw her starring with actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, the year 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she starred in the dramatic film Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on Alice, a comedy program based on her earlier movie.

During the next ten years, she earned an additional best supporting actress nomination for her performance in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she was awarded a further nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.

“This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew Laura and I to the UK for a premiere and an event for us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”

The 1990s also saw roles in humorous films The Cemetery Club bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also brought her TV award nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Collaborations with Daughter

She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared with actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her later TV roles consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Writing and Directing

She additionally penned and oversaw the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck that included her and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. In fact, I am the sole female ever who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Connections

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

During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised she only had half a year left but made a full recovery after her daughter moved her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead use it to discover, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.