Mother-Daughter United
Background:
For her performance in Rambling Rose (1991), actress Diane Ladd, along with
daughter Laura Dern, marked the first time a mother and daughter received Oscar
nominations for the same movie. Her superb acting in the 1991 film also gave
Ladd an Independent Spirit Award and a Golden Globe nomination. A year earlier,
Ladd’s turn as the psychopathic obsessive mother of Dern’s character in David
Lynch’s Wild at Heart (1990) earned another Oscar and Golden Globe nomination.
Embarking on her acting career on stage, Ladd was then famous for her turn as
waitress Flo in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974, won a
BAFTA Film Award and accepted an Oscar and a Golden Globe nomination). In the
1990s, the actress collected three Emmy nominations after guest performing in
such series as “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” (1993-1997), “Grace Under Fire”
(1994-1997) and “Touched by an Angel” (1997).
Off screen, Ladd published the nutritional health book “Spiraling Through the
School of Life” (2006) and is writing “Interrupted Destiny” and the biographical
novel “Two Rebels with a Cause.” She was the featured speaker at the Palm
Springs Women in Film & Television event on November 11, 2006.
From her marriage with actor Bruce Dern (1960-1969), Ladd has 2 daughters, Laura
Dern and the late Diane Elizabeth Dern. She was then married to William A. Shea
Jr. (1969-1977) before tying the knot with Robert Charles Hunter. Ladd has two
grandchildren: Ellery Walker and Jaya Harper, from Laura Dern’s marriage with
musician Ben Harper.
Copacabana Girl
Childhood and Family:
Diane Ladd was born Rose Diane Ladner (some say Lanier) on November 29, 1932, in
Meridian, Mississippi. Laddie, her nickname, is a distant relative of playwright
Tennessee Williams.
While studying at St. Aloysius Academy and then at a New Orleans finishing
school, Diane performed in a community theater, as well as modeled and sang jazz
and blues on weekends. Diane, who was once interested in a career in law, won a
scholarship to Louisiana State University. However, she quit her Law studies and
pursued her passion for performing. Diane then worked as a chorus girl at New
York City’s Copacabana for three months, enrolled in the Actors Studio and
joined auditions.
Diane was first married to actor Bruce Dern (1960-1969), with whom she has two
daughters. Her first daughter, Diane Elizabeth Dern (born in 1961), drowned at
the age of 18 months. Six years later, daughter Laura Dern was born. After her
second marriage with William A. Shea Jr. (1969-1977) ended in divorce, Diane
married Robert Charles Hunter (wed on February 14, 1999).
Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Career:
Diane Ladd, who made her professional stage debut in Meridian’s play “The
Verdict,” was discovered by John Carradine while performing at the Galley Circle
Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was soon cast in his touring production
of “Tobacco Road.”
Ladd went to the Off-Broadway stage with a role in the revival of Tennessee
Williams’ “Orpheus Descending” (1959), where she first met actor Bruce Dern.
Almost at the same time, she landed the role of Putski in the tour of “A Hatful
of Rain” (1959, alongside Ben Gazzara), which was followed by her appearance in
the revue “Medium Rare” (1960).
On screen, Ladd took guest turns in “Naked City” (1958, 1959) and “Decoy”
(1959), before taking a bit part in her film debut Something Wild (1961). She
then became a guest actress in series like “Perry Mason” (1963), “Bob Hope
Presents the Chrysler Theatre” (1964) and “Daniel Boone” (1966). Ladd, who acted
with Bruce Dern in The Wild Angels (1966, had a supporting role as Gaysh), also
appeared in “The Big Valley” (1967), “Ironside” (1968) and “Then Came Bronson”
(1969).
Amid her screen attempts, Ladd had a Broadway debut in “Carry Me Back to
Morningside Heights” (1968, co-starred with Louis Gossett Jr. and Cicely Tyson)
and acted with Robert De Niro in Shelley Winters’ “One Night Stands of a Noisy
Passenger” (1970). She again shared the screen with husband Dern in the movie
Rebel Rousers (1970) before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera “The Secret
Storm” (1971-1972), as Kitty Styles. A year later, the actress did a first TV
movie, with the role of Alice Shaw, in The Devil’s Daughter.
Cast by director Martin Scorsese, Ladd immediately stole critics’ hearts with
her performance as Flo, the tough-talking waitress, in the romance drama Alice
Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), which won her a BAFTA Film award for Best
Supporting Actress. In addition, she earned a first Oscar and a Golden Globe
nomination. Also in 1974, Ladd played Ida Sessions in Roman Polanski’s thriller
Chinatown, along with Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and Bruce Glover.
While starring as Lu Ann Hampton Laverty Oberlander in Preston Jones’ Broadway
play “A Texas Trilogy” (1976), Ladd also worked with actress Meredith Baxter in
the TV film The November Plan (1976). She next accepted roles in the miniseries
“Black Beauty” (1978, as Amelia Gordon), the TV drama Willa (1979) and the TV
biopic Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980).
During 1980-1981, Ladd could be seen as Belle Dupree in the CBS sitcom “Alice,”
which was based on her film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Eventually, her
sitcom stint was given a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in a Series.
On the small screen, Ladd also took part in such projects as the biopic Grace
Kelly (1983), the fact-based comedy I Married a Centerfold (1984), Crime of
Innocence (1985, costarred with Andy Griffith), Celebration Family (1987),
Bluegrass (1988, costarred with Cheryl Ladd) and “Father Dowling Mysteries”
(1989, 1 episode).
Collaborating with daughter Laura Dern, Ladd presented a fine portrayal as
Marietta Fortune, the psychopathic obsessive mother of Dern’s character, in
David Lynch’s Wild at Heart (1990) and took home an Oscar and a Golden Globe
nomination. Furthermore, Ladd’s next mother-daughter performance in Martha
Coolidge’s Rambling Rose (1991, played Laura Dern’s mother) garnered an
Independent Spirit award and earned another Oscar and Golden Globe nomination.
Following Forever (1992, played Mabel Normand), the actress gained her first
Emmy nomination for the recurring role of Charlotte Cooper in the acclaimed
drama series “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” (1993-1997). The second Emmy nomination
came after she appeared as Louise Burdette in the “Things Left Undone” episode
of “Grace Under Fire” (2 episodes, 1994-1997).
Next, Ladd acted in Laura Dern’s directing debut The Gift (1994, TV) before
making her own filmmaking attempt in the comedy drama movie Mrs. Munck (1995),
which she adapted from the novel by Ella Leffland. Also starring as the title
character (opposite Bruce Dern), Ladd presented the story of a wronged woman’s
revenge on her wheelchair bound husband.
The actress’ performance in the self-produced Mother (1996, as Olivia Hendrix)
led to an Emmy-nominated guest appearance in the “An Angel By Any Other Name”
episode of “Touched by an Angel” (1997). She was also involved in screen
projects like Primary Colors (1998), “Strong Medicine” (2 episodes, 2000), Daddy
and Them (2001), Living with the Dead (2002, TV), Charlie’s War (2003), Gracie’s
Choice (2004, TV) and The World’s Fastest Indian (2005).
In 2006, Ladd acted with Ashley Judd in Come Early Morning, re-teamed with
director David Lynch in Inland Empire, appeared as Edna in When I Find the
Ocean, as well as guest starred in “ER.” She is set to play Bess in the TV
adaptation of Nora Roberts’ novel Montana Sky (2007) and join Faye Dunaway, Rip
Torn and Nastassja Kinski in the comedy American Cowslip (2007).
Awards:
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