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

The award-nominated actor Diane Ladd has died 89 years old.

The actor, whose filmography included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in Ojai, California. The news was revealed through a message shared by her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in a number of films like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my amazing hero and my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist as well as caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Early Career and Rise to Fame

Her initial acting years featured supporting roles in television programs such as Gunsmoke whereas that decade saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.

Subsequent Years

During the eighties, she appeared in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a sitcom based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she was given a further supporting actress nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mom of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The next year she was awarded an additional nod for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew us to the UK for a premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”

That decade featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother once more. The decade 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.

Working with Laura Dern

She kept appearing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s dark comedy series the program Enlightened. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

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

Behind the Camera

She also authored and oversaw the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included her and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I was honored to direct him on a project. In fact, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

She happened to be a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence in my life”.

Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and advised her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery when her daughter moved her to another medical facility.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead apply it to explore, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.