Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at the Age of 89.

This Academy Award-nominated performer Diane Ladd passed away aged 89.

The actress, with credits spanned Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. The news was shared through a message from her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who starred with her mom in various films such as Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero plus my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was by her side during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Her initial acting years included small roles in TV shows including Gunsmoke whereas the 1970s featured her performing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.

Later Decades

In the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller the movie Black Widow as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the show Alice, a sitcom inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she earned a further best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in David 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 received an additional nod for her role in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought me and Laura to the UK for a royal premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”

That decade also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as the mother of Dern once more. The decade also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

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

Subsequent TV appearances consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She additionally penned and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck featuring herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Actually, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Life

She was additionally a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration in my life”.

In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and advised her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely after her daughter moved her to a different 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 personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.