Diane Ladd ✝

Diane Ladd is an American actress. She has appeared in over 120 film and television roles. For the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television for Alice (1980–81), and to receive Academy Award nominations for Wild at Heart (1990) and Rambling Rose (1991). Her other film appearances include Chinatown (1974), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Ghosts of Mississippi (1996), Primary Colors (1998), 28 Days (2000), American Cowslip (2008) and Joy (2015) . Ladd is the mother of actress Laura Dern, with her ex-husband, actor Bruce Dern. Ladd was born Rose Diane Ladner, the only child of Mary Bernadette (née Anderson), a housewife and actress, and Preston Paul Ladner, a veterinarian who sold products for poultry and livestock. She was born in Laurel, Mississippi, while the family were visiting relatives for Thanksgiving, though they lived in Meridian, Mississippi. Ladd is related to playwright Tennessee Williams and poet Sidney Lanier. Ladd was raised in her mother's Catholic faith. Ladd was married to actor and one-time co-star Bruce Dern from 1960 to 1969, and had two daughters; Diane Elizabeth Dern, who died at 18 months, and Laura Dern, who became an actress. Ladd and Laura Dern co-starred in the films Wild at Heart, Rambling Rose, Citizen Ruth, and Inland Empire and in the HBO series Enlightened. The two also appeared together in White Lightning and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, although the very young Laura Dern was uncredited in both.