Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.

This Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd passed away at the age of 89.

This actress, whose roles featured Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. The news was revealed via an announcement by her offspring, award-winning actress Laura Dern.

Dern, who performed alongside her mother in various films such as Rambling Rose, called her “my amazing hero and my profound gift being my mom”, writing that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist as well as compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Beginnings and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career saw minor parts in TV shows such as Gunsmoke and that decade saw her starring alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.

Later Decades

Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she was given an additional supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included Dern.

“This movie which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she invited me and Laura to London for a royal premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”

The nineties included parts in humorous films The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother again. That period also brought her Emmy nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She additionally penned and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film which starred herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him on a project. Actually, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Life

She was additionally the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact throughout my life”.

Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health after her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.

“When you use your pain and not let it back up like an injury, rather utilize it to discover, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd said.