Legendary actress Diane Ladd, celebrated for her unforgettable roles in classics such as Chinatown, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and Wild at Heart, has passed away at 89. Ladd, who earned three Academy Award nominations throughout her remarkable career — two of them for films in which she starred alongside her daughter, Laura Dern — leaves behind a powerful legacy in film and television.
Laura Dern shared a heartfelt statement confirming her mother’s passing, saying, “My extraordinary hero and the greatest gift of a mother passed away this morning with me by her side at her home in Ojai, California.” She continued, praising her mother as “the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist, and compassionate soul one could imagine. We were blessed to have her. She’s now soaring with the angels.”
Born Rose Diane Ladner on November 29, 1935, in Laurel, Mississippi, Ladd was the only child of a veterinarian father and an actress mother, surrounded by creativity from the start. She was also related to famed playwright Tennessee Williams. Ladd married actor Bruce Dern in 1960; the pair had two children — including Laura — before divorcing in 1969. Despite their split, they remained on good terms. “Bruce is one of the world’s greatest actors,” she once joked. “Not the best husband, but a great actor.”
Although she initially dreamed of a life in New York theater, early movie roles opened the door to Hollywood stardom. Her scene-stealing performances in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, and Rambling Rose earned her three Oscar nominations and cemented her place among cinema’s greats.
Ladd and Laura Dern shared the screen many times, starting with Laura’s childhood appearance in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. They later starred together in Wild at Heart, Rambling Rose, Citizen Ruth, HBO’s Enlightened, and Lynch’s Inland Empire.
Even late in her career, Ladd continued working, appearing in Young Sheldon and Gigi & Nate. In 2010, she, Bruce Dern, and Laura Dern received adjoining stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring their powerful impact on the acting world.
