Profile Text
07/26/2019 – Ladd – 2019 Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Summer TCA Press Tour – Arrivals – Private Residence – Beverly Hills, CA, USA – Photo Credit: / PRPhotos.com
Birth Name: Rose Diane Ladner
Date of Birth: November 29, 1935
Place of Birth: Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.
Date of Death: November 3, 2025
Place of Death: Ojai, California, U.S.
Ethnicity: * father – German, English, Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, distant French and Swiss-German * mother – Norwegian, German
Diane Ladd was an American actress, film director, producer, and author. Her roles included the films White Lightning , Chinatown , Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore , Embryo (1976), All Night Long (1981), Something Wicked This Way Comes , Black Widow (1987), Plain Clothes (1988), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation , Wild at Heart , A Kiss Before Dying , Rambling Rose , Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me ; The Cemetery Club , Carnosaur , Father Hood , Citizen Ruth , Ghosts of Mississippi , Primary Colors , 28 Days , Daddy and Them , The World’s Fastest Indian , Inland Empire , American Cowslip , Joy (2015), The Last Full Measure , Charming the Hearts of Men , and Gigi & Nate ; the series Gunsmoke , Alice , Kingdom Hospital , Enlightened , and Chesapeake Shores ; the made-for-tv movies Grace Kelly (1983), I Married a Centerfold , Rock Hudson , The Lookalike (1990), Shadow of a Doubt (1991), Breach of Faith: A Family of Cops 2 , Get a Clue (1997), The Staircase (1998), Christy: Return to Cutter Gap , Living with the Dead , Gracie’s Choice , Montana Sky , and Christmas Lost and Found ; and many works on stage.
Diane was the daughter of Mary Bernadette (Anderson), who also acted, and Preston Paul Ladner, a veterinarian who sold poultry and livestock products. She was mostly raised in Meridian, Mississippi. She was said to have been related to playwright Tennessee Williams and poet Sidney Lanier.
Diane was married to Robert Charles Hunter, until his death. She had two children, including actress Laura Dern , with her former husband, actor Bruce Dern . Diane and Laura appeared together in numerous works.
Diane’s paternal grandfather was Jeremiah Joseph “J. J.” Ladner (the son of Paris/Parish A. Ladner and Laura Prudence “Prudie” Smith). Diane’s grandfather Jeremiah was born in Mississippi. Paris was the son of Jeremiah Ladner and Sarah Lowe. Diane’s great-grandmother Laura was the daughter of James Autry Schmidt/Smith and Sarah “Sally” Perrette.
Diane’s paternal grandmother was Hattie Emma Tyner (the daughter of James Everett Tyner and Mary Jane Bullock). Hattie was born in Mississippi. James was the son of John Pierce/Pearce Tyner and Elizabeth Ann Lowe. Mary Jane was the daughter of Pvt. Charles W. Bullock and Emma Jane Pittman.
Diane’s maternal grandfather was named James A. Anderson (the son of Andrew Anderson). James was a Norwegian immigrant.
Diane’s maternal grandmother was Rosa J. Schmitt (the daughter of August Schmitt and Magdalena/Madeline/Magdelena Honard). Rosa was born in Alabama, to German parents. August was born in Gabsheim, Rhineland-Palatinate. Magdalena was born in Munich, Bavaria, the daughter of Rosina Cloete.
Sources: https://www.youtube.com
Genealogies of Diane Ladd – https://www.geni.com https://www.wikitree.com
Diane’s father on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Diane’s paternal grandparents, Jeremiah Joseph “J. J.” Ladner and Hattie Emma Tyner, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org Jeremiah Joseph “J. J.” Ladner and Hattie Emma Tyner on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Diane’s maternal grandparents, James A. Anderson and Rosa J. Schmitt, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org