Diane Ladd, Oscar-Nominated Actress and Mother of Laura Dern, Dies at 89

03 November 2025

Ladd and Dern in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 11, 2020. FilmMagic

Legendary actress Diane Ladd has passed away at the age of 89, her daughter Laura Dern confirmed in a heartfelt statement. Ladd died at her home in Ojai, California, on Monday, November 3, surrounded by family.

With a career spanning more than seven decades, Ladd’s legacy is rich and varied. She earned three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart (1990) and Rambling Rose (1991). With more than 120 film and television credits to her name, Ladd built a body of work that ranged from raw Southern-belle characters to complex dramatic turns.

Born Rose Diane Ladner on November 29, 1935, in Mississippi, she began her performing career in television during the 1950s before transitioning into film. Over time she became known for her fearless choices, strong presence and ability to shift between supporting roles and leading turns.

Ladd’s connection to Hollywood is also deeply personal and generational. She was married to actor Bruce Dern from 1960 to 1969, and together they had two daughters the younger being Laura Dern, who would carry forward the family’s acting tradition. The mother-daughter pair appeared in multiple projects together, notably in Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, making them the only mother-daughter duo nominated for Oscars for the same film in the same year.

Dern’s tribute captured their deep bond: “My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning” she wrote, describing Ladd as “the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created.”

Ladd’s acclaim came not just through nominations but through memorable performances. In Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore she portrayed Flo, a waitress whose sharp tongue and emotional depth earned her critical recognition. In Wild at Heart she brought a peculiarly magnetic force to her role, and in Rambling Rose she once more displayed her gift for layered, grounded performances.

Outside of acting, Ladd also turned her hand to writing and directing, and her life journey included a longstanding commitment to sharing stories of transformation and resilience. Her memoir, co-written with Laura Dern in 2023 and titled “Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love (and Banana Pudding)” documented Ladd’s battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and her daughter’s role in helping her through recovery.

In her later years Ladd faced health challenges; she was diagnosed with serious lung disease in 2018 and credited her daughter with helping her push through via daily walks and care. Her survival beyond an initial prognosis spoke to her strength, focus and relationship with Dern.

Her passing prompts reflection on a career defined by both character versatility and personal evolution. Whether playing supporting roles to younger stars or taking center curtain, Ladd maintained an ethic of craft and a connection to storytelling that resonated across generations of audiences. For Laura Dern and her broader family, her mother’s legacy will live on not just in film history but in the values and moments they shared.

In language that spanned from Southern drawl to noir intensity, Diane Ladd inhabited worlds onscreen and off; now she departs at 89, surrounded by family and with the gratitude of fans and colleagues alike. Her work remains, her presence missed, her influence ongoing.