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

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

This actress, with credits featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in Ojai, California. Her passing was revealed via an announcement shared by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Dern, who performed alongside her mother in several movies such as Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my amazing hero plus my precious gift being my mom”, stating that she was by her side when she passed.

“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative as well as empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Initial Roles and Breakthrough

Ladd’s early career saw supporting roles in television programs like Gunsmoke and that decade had her appearing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.

1980s and Beyond

During the eighties, she was seen in crime thriller the movie Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a comedy program derived from her earlier movie.

In the following decade, she was given an additional best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mother of her biological child the character played by Dern. A year later she received an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured Dern.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought us to England for a royal premiere and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”

The 1990s included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother again. That period also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She continued to star with her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen with actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

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

Filmmaking Ventures

She also authored and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred Diane Ladd and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Indeed, I’m the only woman ever to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Family Ties

Ladd was also a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she called “a great influence on my life”.

In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and told her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery once her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, rather utilize it to explore, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.