The Oscar-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.
This actress, with filmography spanned Chinatown, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. The news was revealed in a statement from her daughter, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.
Laura Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in several movies such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my amazing hero and my precious gift of a mother”, stating that she was by her side during her final moments.
“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative as well as compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
The start of her career included minor parts in TV shows including Gunsmoke and the seventies saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.
In the same year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
During the eighties, she starred in the dramatic film Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a television series based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
In the subsequent decade, she earned another supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her biological child Dern’s character. A year later she obtained another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred her daughter.
“This was the film that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew Laura and I to the UK for a premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”
The nineties included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom again. Those years also earned her Emmy nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.
She continued to star with her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.
She additionally penned and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck that included herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Actually, I’m the only woman in recorded history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”
She was additionally the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact in my life”.
During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and told she only had half a year left but she regained full health once her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.
“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
