Diane Ladd Net Worth

What was Diane Ladd's Net Worth?

Diane Ladd was an acclaimed American actress, director, producer, and writer who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of her death. Diane Ladd's six-decade career spanned film, television, and theater, earning her a reputation for portraying complex, eccentric, and fiercely independent women. Though she was never a household-name movie star, she became one of Hollywood's most respected character actors, earning three Academy Award nominations for roles that showcased her remarkable range. Her first nomination came for playing Flo, a sharp-tongued yet tenderhearted waitress in Martin Scorsese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1974), a performance that inspired the hit sitcom "Alice." She earned her second nomination as the manipulative Marietta Fortune in David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" (1990), and her third as a compassionate Mississippi matron in "Rambling Rose" (1991), appearing opposite her real-life daughter, Laura Dern, in the first mother-daughter Oscar nominations for the same film.

Beyond those landmark performances, Ladd's versatility was evident in dozens of other roles, including turns in "Chinatown," "Ghosts of Mississippi," "Primary Colors," "Joy," and the HBO series "Enlightened." She was also a familiar presence on television, appearing in "Alice," "Chesapeake Shores," and many guest roles across the decades.

She began her career in New Orleans theater before moving to New York, where she performed Off Broadway in Tennessee Williams's "Orpheus Descending" and later transitioned to film. Her first credited movie was Roger Corman's "The Wild Angels" (1966), co-starring then-husband Bruce Dern. A lifelong believer in the power of art and spirituality, Ladd also wrote books including "Spiraling Through the School of Life" and "A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake," and directed the 1996 drama "Mrs. Munck." Known for her candor and tenacity, Ladd was both a critic of Hollywood's treatment of artists and a tireless advocate for authenticity, creativity, and perseverance in the craft of acting.

Early Life

Diane Ladd was born Rose Diane Ladner on November 29, 1935, in Laurel, Mississippi, while her family was visiting relatives there for Thanksgiving. She grew up in nearby Meridian, the only child of Mary Bernadette Anderson Ladner Garey, a homemaker and actress, and Preston Paul Ladner, a veterinarian who specialized in livestock care. Ladd was raised in a devout Catholic household that valued education, art, and Southern storytelling traditions. Through her mother's lineage, she was related to poet Sidney Lanier and playwright Tennessee Williams, connections she often cited as inspiration for her own creative drive.

Drawn to performance from an early age, she began acting in school and community productions before moving to New Orleans as a teenager. Her parents agreed to the move only if she attended a finishing school, but Ladd's real goal was to pursue theater. While performing at the Gallery Circle Theatre in the French Quarter, she was discovered by an associate of actor John Carradine and cast in a touring production of "Tobacco Road." That opportunity set her on a professional path that soon led to New York City, where she supported herself as a model, chorus girl at the Copacabana nightclub, and occasional product demonstrator at Bloomingdale's while auditioning for stage and television roles.

Career

Ladd began her screen career in the late 1950s, making guest appearances on television series such as "The Walter Winchell File," "Naked City," and "Deadline." Her early film work included uncredited parts in "Murder, Inc." (1960) and "Something Wild" (1961), followed by her first credited feature in Roger Corman's motorcycle drama "The Wild Angels" (1966), which co-starred her then-husband Bruce Dern and Peter Fonda. She built a steady career through the 1960s with roles in "The Reivers" (1969) and recurring guest spots on shows like "Gunsmoke," "Perry Mason," and "The Fugitive," eventually landing a regular part on the daytime drama "The Secret Storm" in 1971.

Her breakthrough came in 1974 with back-to-back appearances in two landmark films: Roman Polanski's "Chinatown," where she played a prostitute posing as a society matron, and Martin Scorsese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," in which her portrayal of the tough but tender waitress Flo earned her first Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. The role became so iconic that it inspired the long-running sitcom "Alice," where Ladd later joined the cast as a new waitress, Belle Dupree, winning a Golden Globe in 1981.

Through the following decades, Ladd became one of Hollywood's most admired supporting actresses, balancing film and television with equal ease. She appeared in "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (1983), "Black Widow" (1987), and "Christmas Vacation" (1989), where she memorably played Chevy Chase's mother. She earned her second Oscar nomination for David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" (1990) and her third for "Rambling Rose" (1991), sharing that historic moment with her daughter Laura Dern, who was nominated for Best Actress in the same film.

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Ladd continued working prolifically through the 1990s and 2000s in films such as "Ghosts of Mississippi" (1996), "Primary Colors" (1998), "28 Days" (2000), and "The World's Fastest Indian" (2005). She also directed and starred in the 1996 drama "Mrs. Munck," wrote two books—"Spiraling Through the School of Life" (2006) and the short story collection "A Bad Afternoon for a Piece of Cake" (2016)—and remained outspoken about the struggles actors face within Hollywood's power structures.

In later years, Ladd appeared opposite her daughter once again in HBO's "Enlightened" (2011–2013) and earned praise for her turn as the family matriarch Nell O'Brien on the Hallmark Channel's "Chesapeake Shores" (2016–2017). Her final film credits included "Joy" (2015), "Charming the Hearts of Men" (2021), and "The Last Full Measure," released shortly before her death.

(Photo by John Shearer/WireImage)

Personal Life

Diane Ladd married actor Bruce Dern in 1960, and together they became one of Hollywood's most dynamic creative couples of the 1960s. The pair worked together on stage and screen, and their daughter, Laura Dern, went on to achieve her own acclaimed acting career, winning an Academy Award for "Marriage Story" in 2020. The couple's first daughter, Diane Elizabeth, tragically died in a swimming pool accident at just 18 months old, a loss that deeply shaped both parents' lives.

After divorcing Dern in 1969, Ladd married New York investment banker William A. Shea Jr. in 1973, though that union ended three years later. In 1999, she married Robert Charles Hunter, a retired PepsiCo executive, and the two shared a long marriage grounded in mutual faith and spiritual curiosity until his death in 2024.

Ladd remained active into her late eighties as both an artist and advocate, known for her fierce independence, mystical worldview, and dedication to craft. To generations of actors who followed, she embodied resilience, wit, and the unrelenting spirit of a true Southern storyteller.

Death

Diane Ladd died on November 3, 2025, at the age of 89, at her home in Ojai, California.

Real Estate

In 1998, Diane and Robert paid $1.1 million for a 2.5-acre estate in Ojai, California. They tried to sell the 4,314 square foot home in 2008 for $4.495 million, and the asking price has changed several times over the years. In 2020, the asking price was reduced to $3.62 million. She finally sold the place in May 2021 for $3.1 million.

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