Bruce Dern is both mourning and celebrating his late ex-wife, actress Diane Ladd, who died Monday, Nov. 3, at her Ojai, California home. She was 89.
“Diane was a tremendous actress,” Dern, 89, said in a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly. “I feel like she was a bit of a ‘hidden treasure’ until she ran into David Lynch. When he cast her as Laura’s mom in Wild at Heart, it felt like the world then really understood her brilliance.”
Dern, best known for Nebraska and Coming Home, was married to Ladd from 1960 to 1969. They shared two daughters, including Oscar-winning actress Laura Dern, who confirmed her mother’s death earlier that day.
“She lived a good life,” Bruce said. “She saw everything the way it was. She was a great teammate to her fellow actors. She was funny, clever, and gracious. But most importantly to me, she was a wonderful mother to our incredible wunderkind daughter. And for that, I will be forever grateful to her.”
A Celebrated Career of Range and Resilience
Ladd’s career spanned six decades and over 200 film and television credits, earning three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress—for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Wild at Heart (1990), and Rambling Rose (1991), twice sharing the screen with her daughter Laura.
A versatile performer, Ladd appeared in both big-budget productions and independent films. Her early work included notable turns in Chinatown and Something Wicked This Way Comes, while her later projects — such as Enlightened and Palm Royale — showed her continued command of character-driven storytelling.
Her collaborations with David Lynch, especially in Wild at Heart, where she played Laura Dern’s character’s mother, solidified her as one of Hollywood’s most fearless talents. “When David cast her,” Bruce reflected, “the world finally understood her brilliance.”
Family, Loss, and Lifelong Connection
Ladd and Bruce Dern met while performing together in a stage production of Orpheus Descending in New York City. They married soon after and became part of a creative circle that helped shape the New Hollywood era of the 1960s.
Their early years saw tragedy when their first daughter, Diane Elizabeth, drowned at 18 months. “It was awful. It was very, very tough. I don’t think Diane and I had a chance after that,” Bruce said in a 1990 interview with People. Despite heartbreak, their shared history and mutual respect remained long after their marriage ended.
Ladd later married William Shea Jr. in 1969 (divorced 1977), and in 1999, wed businessman Robert Charles Hunter, who passed away earlier this year. Despite living separate lives, Ladd and Dern remained friendly. “He’s one of the world’s greatest actors,” Ladd joked in 2023. “He wasn’t such a great husband, but he’s a really great actor.”
A Legacy Carried by Laura Dern
Laura Dern, 58, confirmed her mother’s passing in a heartfelt statement, calling her “my amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother.” She wrote, “She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist, and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created. We were blessed to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”
Laura’s deep admiration for her parents has long been a public fact. When she accepted her Academy Award for Marriage Story in 2020, she paid tribute to both her parents. “Some say ‘never meet your heroes,’” she said. “But I say if you’re really blessed, you get them as your parents. I share this with my acting heroes, my legends, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern.”
A Lasting Impact on Screen and Stage
Beyond acting, Ladd was a longtime board member of the Screen Actors Guild, advocating for the rights of performers and creative integrity. “She was a great value as a decades-long board member of [the Screen Actors Guild], giving a real actress’ point of view,” Bruce noted.
In 2010, Ladd, Bruce, and Laura made history when they became the first family to receive adjoining stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—a symbol of their shared contributions to the art form that defined their lives.
As Hollywood remembers Diane Ladd—a performer of grace, grit, and warmth—Bruce Dern’s reflection resonates as both eulogy and celebration: “She lived a good life,” he said. “She saw everything the way it was.”
