Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at Age 89.

This Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died aged 89.

The star, with roles included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in California’s Ojai. The news was revealed through a message by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in several movies like Wild at Heart, described her as “my amazing hero and my special gift as a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside when she passed.

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist along with caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Her initial acting years included minor parts on television series like Perry Mason while that decade saw her starring next to Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she starred in the dramatic film Black Widow as well as humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the show Alice, a comedy program based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she received a further best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she was awarded an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie which included her daughter.

“This was the picture which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited us to England for a special screening and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”

That decade featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom again. The decade also saw her score TV award nominations for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She kept appearing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Her more recent television parts featured Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Behind the Camera

She also authored and directed the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck that included Diane Ladd and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. Actually, I’m the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Family Ties

Ladd was also the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact on my life”.

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

“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead apply it to explore, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.