Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at Age 89.

This Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away at the age of 89.

The star, whose roles spanned Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was shared through a message shared by her offspring, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who starred with her mom in various films including Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my amazing hero plus my precious gift being my mom”, noting that she was at her bedside during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative and caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

The start of her career included small roles on television series including Perry Mason whereas that decade had her appearing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

Throughout the 1980s, she starred in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the show Alice, a comedy program derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she earned an additional supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her biological child the character played by Dern. The next year she was awarded an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured her daughter.

“This movie that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew Laura and I to London for a royal premiere and an event for us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”

The nineties also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern once more. That period also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She kept appearing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared with Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck which starred herself and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Actually, I stand as the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”

Family Ties

She was additionally a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact throughout my life”.

Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and informed her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health when her daughter moved her to another medical facility.

“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up similar to a wound, instead apply it to explore, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.