The Hollywood legend Diane Ladd, who was nominated for three Oscars during her decades-long career, died on Monday morning. She was 89 years-old.
Ladd Passes Away At 89
Ladd’s death was announced by her daughter, the Oscar-winning actress Laura Dern.
“My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai, Calif.,” Dern, 58, told People Magazine.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she continued. “We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Ladd was born in Laurel, Mississippi on November 29, 1935. She was the only child of veterinarian Preston Paul Ladner and actress Mary Bernadette Ladner.
Ladd fell in love with acting, singing, and dancing as a small child. In the 1950s, Ladd made her way to Hollywood, where she shortened her last name from Ladner.
Ladd got her start working on numerous TV shows like Naked City, Perry Mason and Mr. Novak in the 1950s and 1960s. She finally made her big screen debut in the 1966 movie crime drama The Wild Angels, which also starred Peter Fonda and her then-husband Bruce Dern.
“I remember when we were filming Wild Angels, my very first film, we were practically children back then,” Ladd later recalled. “It was a foggy night, and some bikers came up the mountain and threatened to tie Peter and another crew member to a generator… [but] Peter and Bruce Dern protected us and led us all to safety. His courage always shined through like that.”
Ladd’s Career Takes Off
Eight years later, Ladd scored her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the sassy waitress Flo in the 1974 Martin Scorsese movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Ladd lost the Oscar to Ingrid Bergman for Murder on the Orient Express. However, she ended up taking home the BAFTA, which is the British equivalent of the Academy Awards.
Ladd went on to reprise the role of Flo in the film’s television spinoff Alice. For that, she won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress on a TV series in 1981.
Ladd later scored two more Oscar nominations in the Best Supporting Oscar category. She was nominated for her work in the 1990 David Lynch movieWild at Heart, which she starred in alongside her daughter Laura and Nicolas Cage. Ladd lost that award to Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost.
One year later, Ladd was nominated for her third and final Oscar for the 1991 movie Rambling Rose. That year, she and Laura made history as the first mother and daughter to earn acting Oscar nominations in the same year. Laura lost the Best Actress Oscar to Jodie Foster for The Silence of the Lambs. Meanwhile, Ladd lost to Mercedes Ruehl for The Fisher King.
Ladd died with 143 film and television credits to her name, according to IMBD. Her final role came in the 2022 movie Isle of Hope.
Ladd’s Marriage History
In her personal life, Ladd was married and divorced three times. Her first husband was the two-time Oscar nominated star Bruce Dern, who she was married to from 1960 until 1969. They were parents to two daughters: Diane and Laura.
Sadly, Diane died in 1962 at the age of 18 months in a swimming pool accident at her family’s home in North Hollywood.
“She hit her head and knocked herself out. And it all happened instantly. And she died, and you will never get over that,” Ladd told CBS News in 2023. “I don’t care what you say to yourself. I don’t care who says what. The child is not supposed to die before the parent.”
Ladd and Bruce’s marriage sadly never recovered.
“We suffered the tragedy of our daughter’s death together and thought another child would help us, but we were so bruised,” Ladd later said.
Ladd was married to William A. Shea, Jr. from 1973 until they divorced in 1976. She married her third husband Robert Charles Hunter in 1999. They remained married until he died in July of this year at the age of 77.
Ladd’s Bond With Daughter
Ladd remained close to her surviving daughter Laura until her death. In 2023, they published the joint memoir Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding). They were inspired to write the book after having a series of discussions following Ladd’s 2018 diagnosis with a life-threatening lung disease.
While promoting the book, Ladd was asked what the most important thing is that she and her daughter have learned from each other.
“As parents, we do not tell our children all of our truths because we want to be loved and respected,” she replied. “So honestly, we lie a little. What I discovered is that there were things I hadn’t told her that I should have because I felt it would make her feel guilty or burdened. Instead, it was a release for her.”
When asked about her mother, Laura responded, “She has the most open, honest face. You know what she’s feeling. It’s an amazing thing to have as a gift because I always knew I was loved. Even when it was a ferocious face or an angry face, it was so full and told so many stories that I always felt the love coming from her.”
Rest in peace, Diane Ladd.