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Ojai,
California | November 4, 2025 - Diane Ladd, the three-time Academy Award nominee whose six-decade
career bridged Hollywood’s golden age and modern independent cinema, died
Monday at her home in Ojai, California. She was 89.
A Legendary Career Ends in Ojai
Her
daughter, actress Laura Dern, confirmed the death in a statement, calling her
mother “my amazing hero” and “a profound gift of a mother.” Ladd died
peacefully with Dern at her side. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
From Mississippi to Martin Scorsese’s Set
Born
Rose Diane Ladner in Laurel, Mississippi, Ladd began performing on stage and
television in the 1950s before gaining international acclaim in Martin
Scorsese’s 1974 drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
Her
portrayal of Flo, the outspoken waitress with a quick wit and a softer heart,
earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The
performance later inspired the CBS spinoff sitcom Alice (1976–1985), though
Ladd did not reprise her role.
“Diane had that rare ability to be both comic and tragic in the same breath,” Scorsese once said in a 2019 interview about the film’s enduring legacy.
Three Oscar Nominations, Infinite Range
Ladd’s
career spanned genres and generations. She earned three Oscar nominations — for
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart (1990), and Rambling Rose
(1991).
The last
two featured her alongside her daughter, Laura Dern, marking one of the few
times in Academy history that a mother and daughter were nominated in the same
year for the same film.
Her
filmography includes “Chinatown” (1974), “Primary Colors” (1998), and dozens of
television appearances — from ER to Touched by an Angel.
A Family and Artistic Legacy
Ladd was
deeply rooted in the American arts. Her first husband, Bruce Dern, is also an
Oscar nominee, and playwright Tennessee Williams was a second cousin.
The
Dern–Ladd family came to symbolize a generational bridge in Hollywood — a
lineage of method acting, southern storytelling, and emotional authenticity.
The Wild at Heart Years: A Lynchian Collaboration
Among
Ladd’s most memorable roles was Marietta Fortune in David Lynch’s Wild at
Heart, a dark comedy that won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1990.
In a
2024 interview with Vulture, Ladd recalled rewriting one of her own scenes:
“I told David, ‘I don’t want to curl up with a dog. I want to stand in a satin nightgown, martini in hand, swaying to the music in my head.’ He said, ‘OK.’ And he loved it.”
That
instinct — a blend of fearlessness and improvisation — became Ladd’s hallmark.
A Voice of Reflection and Faith
In her
2006 memoir, Spiraling Through the School of Life, Ladd described her
great-grandmother’s prophecy that she would one day “command audiences from a
screen.”
She
often spoke of spirituality and resilience, saying that acting was “a form of
prayer — a connection between one’s soul and the human experience.”
Final Years and Enduring Influence
Even
into her late 80s, Ladd remained active in television and film, most recently
appearing in the 2023 series Isle of Hope.
Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, awarded in 2010, symbolized a career built on craft, conviction, and compassion.
Laura Dern, in her statement, added:
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist, and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created. She is flying with her angels now.”
By: María Pérez | Editor-in-Chief
Published: 04/11/2025 Updated: 04/11/2025 — 21:00 PST