While his daughter, Laura Dernis perhaps more of a household name for younger generations, the late Diane Ladd was a powerhouse actress with a career spanning over 70 years.
On November 3, Ladd died at her home at the age of 89.
Following his passing, Ladd’s fans looked back on his career and remembered some of his notable performances. Watch With Us would like to join the chorus.
If you’re unfamiliar with Ladd or just want to celebrate her storied career, we’ve got four movie and show picks that highlight the legacy she left behind.
“Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” (1974)
Ladd had a major career breakthrough with Alice no longer lives herewhich earned her the first of three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Ladd played Flo Castlebury, a tough-talking waitress at Mel’s Diner who serves spicy zingers with greasy burgers. She makes friends Ellen BurstynIt’s Alice, a single mother who seeks to reinvent herself after her husband dies in a car accident. Flo shows Alice the ropes and gives her some sage advice about her budding romance with Kris KristoffersonIt’s the handsome farmer David.
A classic supporting item, Flo remains Ladd’s most enduring creation. Alice no longer lives here spawned a hit sitcom on CBS called AliceOr Polly Holidays took over for Ladd as Flo, who became enough of a fan favorite to star in her own self-titled spinoff that ran for two seasons. In a strange turn of events, Ladd joined the cast of Alice in season 4 as Belle Dupree, another tough cookie waitress in the Flo mold. Ladd would go on to have a significant career in television, appearing in hits such as Los Angeles Law, Touched by an angel, Kingdom Hospital, EAST And Young Sheldon.
Rent or buy Alice no longer lives here on Prime Video.
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989)
Ladd’s most popular film is probably National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacationthe third entry into the Chevy Chase-directed franchise that has transformed over the years into an eternal holiday classic. Ladd appears about halfway through the film as Nora Griswold, Clark’s old-fashioned mother, who promises her grandson a whole quarter if he rubs her feet.
Another supporting role, Ladd makes Nora the ideal grandmother everyone wants – warm, a little disconnected and ready to beat a squirrel to death if need be. (Don’t ask.) Does Christmas vacation Ladd’s best film? No, of course not. But it’s a fun, funny holiday movie to rewatch year after year, and she holds a permanent place in the minds and hearts of generations of fans with her work in this film.
Flow National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on HBO Max.
“The Wild Heart” (1990)
Passionate lovers Lula (Dern) and Sailor (Nicolas Cage) are separated when Sailor is imprisoned for stabbing a man in self-defense. Nearly two years later, Lula picks up Sailor upon her release and together they decide to escape to California despite Sailor’s parole being broken. Desperate to separate them, Lula’s mother, Marietta (Ladd), hires a hitman and a private detective to track down and kill Sailor and bring Lula home.
In the type of disjointed and surreal performance that befits a David Lynch film, Ladd absolutely shines as the murderous Marietta, and the image of Ladd’s face covered in bright red lipstick is iconic. Hysterical, terrifying and also undeniably sad, Ladd gives a performance that no one else could have pulled off – for it, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Rent or buy Wild at heart on Prime Video.
“Wandering Rose” (1991)
Another film starring both Ladd and Dern, the duo would end up earning Academy Award nominations – for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively. This makes them the first mother-daughter duo to be nominated for an Oscar for the same film. creeping rose is set during the Great Depression and follows domestic worker Rose (Dern), who comes to work for Mr. and Mrs. Hillyer (Ladd and Robert Duval) and their families. But drama ensues when Rose develops romantic feelings for Mr. Hillyer.
Praised for its bittersweet narrative, warm humor and fantastic acting, creeping rose is a gripping character drama that established Dern as a formidable, up-and-coming acting talent, nepotism be damned. The film also succeeds in offering a nuanced portrait of female sexuality and family dynamics in a time as tense and repressed as the 1930s.
Rent or buy creeping rose on Prime Video.
