🔗 Share this article Diane Ladd, Famed For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Dies at the Age of 89. The Academy Award-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away aged 89. The actor, whose credits spanned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. Her passing was revealed in a statement from her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern. Dern, who performed alongside her mother in a number of films such as Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my wonderful hero as well as my special gift as a mother”, stating that she was by her side when she passed. “She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative along with caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.” Early Career and Major Success Her initial acting years included small roles in TV shows like The Fugitive whereas the 1970s had her appearing next to actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown. During that year, the year 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. Later Decades In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow as well as comedy sequel Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a television series derived from her earlier movie. In the following decade, she received an additional supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her actual daughter Dern’s character. A year later she received an additional nod for her acting in Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern. “This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought us to the UK for a special screening and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.” The 1990s featured performances in comedy Cemetery Club, a film joining her again with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Dern’s mother once more. The decade also brought her Emmy nominations for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel. Working with Laura Dern She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy. Her more recent television parts featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon. Filmmaking Ventures She also authored and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Actually, I’m the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.” Personal Life She was additionally the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact on my life”. Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and told her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely once her daughter transferred her to a different hospital. “Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd said.