Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd dead at 89
Diane Ladd, the actor who became Oscar-nominated for her roles in films such as Rambling Rose, has died aged 89.
The news was confirmed in a statement on November 3rd by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, who said: “My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning,” noting that Ladd died at her home in California.
“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,” Dern added. She did not reveal a cause of death for her mother at this time.
Ladd’s career began in 1974 when she was cast as a waitress in Martin Scorsese’s movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, which shot her to fame and saw her nominated for her first Oscar.
The actor went on to create a prolific career over decades, starring in many films. Most notably, she and Dern became the first mother and daughter duo to be nominated for Oscars for their respective performances portraying the same relationship in the 1991 film Rambling Rose, although ultimately neither received the prize.
This was not the only film in which the pair went on to depict their real-life relationship on screen, as they also starred opposite each other in David Lynch’s Wild At Heart and the HBO series Enlightened.
Dern was Ladd’s second daughter from her marriage to Bruce Dern, which lasted between 1960 and 1969. The couple’s first daughter, Diane Elizabeth Dern, tragically passed away in an accident in 1962 at the age of 18 months old.
Later in her career, Ladd focused primarily on television roles, but still occasionally appeared in films, with her last part coming in 2022 with the film Gigi and Nate.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.