Three-time Oscar nominated actress Diane Ladd, known for her roles in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, passed away on Monday at the age of 89 in California, as per reports.
According to a report by American magazine Variety, actress Laura Dern confirmed that her mother passed away at her residence in Ojai, with Dern by her side.
“My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, Ca. She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created. We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now,” Laura said.
Born on 29 November 1935 in Laurel, Mississippi, Rose Diane Ladner was the only child of veterinarian Preston Paul Ladner and actress Mary Bernadette Ladner.
A gifted performer from childhood, she excelled in acting, singing, and dancing before pursuing a career in television and film in the 1960s.
Ladd rose to fame with her role in Martin Scorsese’ 1974 film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Playing the feisty waitress Flo in the movie, she earned her debut Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the film.
Ladd went on to receive two more Academy Award nominations for her performances in Wild at Heart (1990) and Rambling Rose (1991). She appeared alongside her daughter, Laura Dern, in Rambling Rose, making history as the first mother-daughter pair to be nominated in the same year.
Ladd and her first husband, actor Bruce Dern, became parents to daughter Laura Dern on February 10, 1967. The couple divorced two years later, in 1969.
Ladd’s other notable works include Chinatown (1974), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), and Primary Colors (1998). On television, she starred in series like Enlightened and made guest appearances on shows including Touched by an Angel.
Ladd also explored writing and directing, publishing her memoir Spiraling Through the School of Life in 2006.
In 1995, Ladd made her directorial debut with Showtime’s Mrs. Munck, based on a novel by Ella Leffland. She also appeared in the film alongside her ex-husband, Bruce Dern.
Ladd, who married three times — to Bruce Dern in 1960, William A. Shea Jr. in 1969 and Robert Charles Hunter in 1999 — is survived by her daughter Laura and two grandchildren.
