🔗 Share this article Oscar-Nominated Star Diane Ladd, Known For Her Role in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at 89 Years Old. The Oscar-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd left us 89 years old. The star, with roles spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, passed away at home in Ojai, California. The news was revealed via an announcement shared by her child, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern. Her daughter, who starred with Diane Ladd in several movies such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero and my special gift of a mother”, noting that she was present when she passed. “She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative along with caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.” Early Career and Major Success The start of her career featured minor parts on television series such as Gunsmoke whereas that decade had her appearing with Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown. In the same year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her acting landed Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress. Subsequent Years In the 1980s, she was seen in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. During the next ten years, she received an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mom of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. A year later she received another nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern. “This movie that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought Laura and I to the UK for a special screening and a party for us,” Ladd said about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and crying, watching us perform.” The 1990s featured performances in humorous films The Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother again. Those years also earned her TV award nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel. Collaborations with Daughter She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s satirical show Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy. Her more recent television parts included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy. Filmmaking Ventures Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck which starred Diane Ladd and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. In fact, I’m the only woman in recorded history who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.” Personal Connections She happened to be a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration throughout my life”. During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and advised she had just six months to live but she regained full health after her daughter transferred her to a new hospital. “Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up like a sore or something, rather utilize it to explore, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are winning,” Ladd said.