Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at the Age of 89.

The award-nominated performer Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.

This star, whose credits included Chinatown, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. Her passing was revealed through a message shared by her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who starred with her mother in several movies like Wild at Heart, called her “my incredible hero plus my special gift being my mom”, noting that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative and compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Initial Roles and Breakthrough

The start of her career included minor parts on television series such as Perry Mason whereas the 1970s saw her starring next to Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod for best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

During the eighties, she was seen in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the show Alice, a comedy program based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she earned an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The following year she was awarded a further nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.

“This was the film that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought me and Laura to London for a special screening and an event in our honor,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”

The nineties also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Dern’s mother again. The decade also earned her TV award nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

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

Her later TV roles consisted of the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She also authored and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Indeed, I am the sole female in history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Family Ties

She was additionally a family member of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact in my life”.

In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a pulmonary condition and informed she had just six months to live but made a full recovery when her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead use it to investigate, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.