By Johnweaks News Desk November 4, 2025
OJAI, Calif. — The entertainment world is reeling from the loss of Diane Ladd, the trailblazing three-time Academy Award-nominated actress whose fiery performances lit up screens for over six decades, and whose unyielding spirit inspired generations of performers — including her daughter, Oscar-winner Laura Dern. Ladd passed away peacefully on Monday morning at her home in Ojai, California, surrounded by loved ones. She was 89.
In a heartfelt statement shared with Variety and other outlets, Dern, 58, described her mother as “my amazing hero and my profound gift.” “She passed with me beside her this morning,” Dern wrote. “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.”
Born Rose Diane Ladner on November 29, 1935, in Meridian, Mississippi, Ladd grew up as the only child of a country veterinarian father and a homemaker mother. Her early life was marked by tales of resilience — she once claimed her birthplace was the fictional town of Rilberton, Mississippi, “wiped out by a hurricane,” a nod to the storytelling flair that would define her career. Ladd’s journey to Hollywood began in the 1950s with bit parts in television staples like Perry Mason, The Fugitive, and Gunsmoke, but it was the 1970s that catapulted her to stardom.
Her breakthrough came in Martin Scorsese’s 1974 drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, where she played the sassy diner waitress Flo opposite Ellen Burstyn’s widowed protagonist. The role earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and spawned the beloved TV spin-off Alice. Scorsese, reflecting on their collaboration, told USA Today, “I have so many good memories of making ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,’ and my experiences with Diane are among the best.”
Ladd’s versatility shone in Roman Polanski’s neo-noir Chinatown (1974), where she shared the screen with Jack Nicholson, and later in David Lynch’s surreal Wild at Heart (1990) as the unhinged matriarch Marietta Fortune — a performance that netted her second Oscar nod. Critics raved about her “fine, sleazy zest,” with The New York Times’ Vincent Canby likening her to a “Wicked Witch” in red shoes. Her third nomination came for Rambling Rose (1991), a coming-of-age tale directed by Martha Coolidge, where she starred alongside Dern. That film marked a historic milestone: Ladd and Dern became the first real-life mother-daughter duo nominated for Oscars in the same movie — Ladd for Best Supporting Actress and Dern for Best Actress — a feat previously achieved only by Henry and Jane Fonda in On Golden Pond.
Beyond the awards buzz, Ladd’s career was a tapestry of unforgettable roles. She brought comic bite to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) as the meddlesome Aunt Bethany, whose frozen turkey dinner became a holiday classic. On television, she appeared in everything from The Twilight Zone to modern hits like Big Little Lies, often channeling the same blend of humor, grit, and vulnerability that made her a character actor’s actor.
Ladd’s personal life was equally storied and poignant. She married fellow actor Bruce Dern in 1960, and the couple welcomed two daughters: Diane Elizabeth Dern, who tragically drowned at 18 months in a pool accident in 1962, and Laura, born in 1967. Ladd and Dern divorced in 1969 but remained connected through their shared profession; Bruce Dern, now 89, issued a statement calling his ex-wife “a tremendous actress” and “a bit of a ‘hidden treasure'” until Lynch’s Wild at Heart unveiled her full brilliance. Ladd later married businessmen William Shea Jr. and Robert Hunter.
A multifaceted talent, Ladd directed the 1995 revenge drama Mrs. Munck, starring alongside Shelley Winters and Kelly Preston, and penned a 2016 short story collection, A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake. She was also an outspoken advocate for artists’ rights and environmental causes, often drawing from her Southern roots to champion underdogs.
Tributes poured in swiftly on social media, with filmmakers and fans alike celebrating her legacy. Spanish outlet Filmtopia posted photos from her iconic roles, noting her death as a profound loss for women in cinema. British broadcaster Sky News echoed the sentiment, headlining her passing with her Wild at Heart fame. Argentine news site Argentilandia highlighted her as “three times nominated to the Oscars and mother of Laura Dern,” underscoring her global reach.
As Hollywood pauses to honor one of its most enduring voices, Ladd’s influence endures — not just in the reels of classic films, but in the lives she touched, from her grieving daughter to the aspiring actors who saw in her the power of persistence. Funeral arrangements have not been announced, but Dern’s words ring true: Diane Ladd lived boldly, loved fiercely, and left an indelible mark on the silver screen.
This article will be updated as more details emerge.
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