🔗 Share this article Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Celebrated For Her Performance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Passes Away at the Age of 89. This Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away aged 89. This star, whose credits included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. This announcement was revealed in a statement from her daughter, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern. Her daughter, who starred with her mom in various films including Wild at Heart, described her as “my incredible hero plus my special gift as a mother”, noting that she was present as she died. “She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.” Initial Roles and Major Success Her initial acting years saw supporting roles in TV shows such as Perry Mason and the seventies saw her starring with Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown. That very year, the year 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress. 1980s and Beyond In the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a sitcom inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. In the following decade, she earned an additional supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her real-life daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she obtained an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose which included her daughter. “This movie which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought Laura and I to England for a royal premiere and an event for us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.” The 1990s included parts in comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as the mother of Dern once more. Those years also earned her Emmy nominations for work in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel. Working with Laura Dern She continued to star with Laura Dern in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama. Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy. Writing and Directing Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck featuring her and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. Indeed, I’m the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.” Personal Life She happened to be a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence in my life”. During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health after her daughter transferred her to a new hospital. “If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead apply it to investigate, to clarify the journey for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.