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

This Academy Award-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.

The actor, whose filmography spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. The news was shared in a statement from her child, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who performed alongside her mother in various films such as Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero and my special gift being my mom”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist as well as empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”

Early Career and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career included supporting roles in television programs including The Fugitive whereas that decade saw her starring alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow and funny follow-up Christmas Vacation and appeared on Alice, a television series derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she received a further supporting actress nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she received another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which included her daughter.

“This was the picture that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited us to the UK for a special screening and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”

That decade included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club joining her again with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom again. The decade also saw her score Emmy nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She was also seen next to actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Her later TV roles included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Filmmaking Ventures

She also authored and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Actually, I’m 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 Connections

She was additionally the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration on my life”.

Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and told she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely once her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.

“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, instead use it to explore, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.