🔗 Share this article Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Known For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89. The Academy Award-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd has died 89 years old. The actress, whose credits featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was announced through a message shared by her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern, her daughter. Her daughter, who performed alongside her mom in several movies such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my amazing hero and my special gift being my mom”, noting that she was at her bedside when she passed. “She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist along with compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.” Initial Roles and Major Success The start of her career included small roles in television programs including Perry Mason whereas that decade saw her starring with actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown. In the same year, 1974, she shared the screen with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress. 1980s and Beyond During the eighties, she starred in the dramatic film Black Widow as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the show Alice, a comedy program derived from her earlier movie. In the following decade, she earned another best supporting actress nomination for her performance in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the parent of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she was awarded another nomination for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured Dern. “This was the film that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew me and Laura to England for a royal premiere and an event for us,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.” That decade also saw roles in humorous films The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom another time. Those years also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards 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 Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared alongside actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy. Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon. Writing and Directing Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred herself and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Actually, I am the sole female in history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.” Personal Connections She happened to be the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact in my life”. During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and advised her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health once her daughter transferred her to a new hospital. “Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate like a sore or something, rather utilize it to explore, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.