🔗 Share this article

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

The star, whose credits spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared in a statement by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.

Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in various films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my amazing hero and my precious gift as a mother”, stating that she was present when she passed.

“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Beginnings and Breakthrough

The start of her career included small roles on television series such as Gunsmoke while that decade had her appearing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.

Later Decades

In the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by her earlier movie.

In the following decade, she earned another best supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mother of her biological child Dern’s character. A year later she was awarded another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.

“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited Laura and I to England for a royal premiere and an event for us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”

The nineties featured performances in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother another time. Those years also brought her Emmy nominations for roles 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 alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

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

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film featuring her and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I was honored to direct him on a project. In fact, I’m the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she called “a great influence throughout my life”.

Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and told she had just six months to live but she regained full health when her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.

“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, rather utilize it to discover, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.