Three generations of the Dern family united on the Cannes red carpet on Wednesday as Bruce and Laura Dern made a rare public appearance together. Oscar nominee Bruce, 89, was seen lovingly holding onto the arms of Jurassic Park star Laura, 59, and his grandson Ellery Harper, 24, while also posing with his granddaughter Jaya Harper, 21.
A frail Bruce cut a suave figure in a tuxedo paired with a LA Dodgers baseball cap, marking the first time he and Laura have been seen together since the death of her mother and his ex-wife Diane Ladd in November. Laura looked sensational in a silver gown as she and the children supported Bruce's documentary Dernsie, which chronicles the actor's six-decade Hollywood career.
Dernsie, named after a phrase describing Bruce's improv acting, also features appearances from Laura and Quentin Tarantino. Laura shares her two children with ex-husband, musician Ben Harper, whom she was married to from 2005 to 2013. Ellery has worked as a model and musician, while Jaya is following in her mother's acting footsteps, recently starring in Netflix series Roommates.
Family Support and Fond Memories
Ever the gentleman, Bruce was seen doffing his LA Dodgers cap at fans. The sighting marked the first time he and Laura have been seen together since Diane Ladd's death. Bruce is a previous Cannes honoree, receiving the Film Festival Award for Best Actor for Nebraska in 2013, a role that also earned him an Oscar nomination. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Coming Home (1978).
Bruce and Ladd welcomed Laura during their nine-year marriage from 1960 to 1969, and the former couple remained great friends. Following Ladd's death, Bruce said: 'She lived a good life. She saw everything the way it was.' He called Ladd 'funny, clever, gracious' and 'a great teammate to her fellow actors.' He added, '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.'
Bruce's Tribute to Diane Ladd
Bruce, who has worked with Quentin Tarantino on films such as The Hateful Eight (2015) and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019), said he felt Ladd's star shined brightest working with late auteur David Lynch. 'Diane was a tremendous actress and I feel like, a bit of a hidden treasure until she ran into David Lynch,' Bruce said.
The Great Gatsby star cited Ladd's performance as Marietta Fortune in the 1990 Lynch film Wild at Heart opposite her daughter Laura Dern, as well as Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe, as a breakout performance. 'When he cast her as Laura's mom in Wild at Heart it felt like the world then really understood her brilliance,' Bruce said.
Overcoming Tragedy
During their marriage, they tragically lost a one-year-old daughter named Diane in 1962 following a drowning accident. Ladd, in her joint 2023 book with daughter Laura titled Honey, Baby, Mine, candidly discussed how the tragedy impacted her marriage. 'If you lose a child, it's very hard to cope,' Ladd said. 'We were struggling actors. We could hardly make it. We had to stay in the same house where she died because we couldn't afford to leave. His family could have helped us, but they didn't.'
Bruce and Ladd appeared in motion pictures together including American Cowslip (2009), Mrs. Munck (1995), The Rebel Rousers (1970), and The Wild Angels (1966). Bruce, Ladd, and Laura were the first trio of relatives to be awarded stars at the same time on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 1, 2010.
'I ask the universe that these three stars right here — when I'm dead and gone or if I'm still alive — that whoever comes and looks at it or stands on it, may the energy of the three of our lives permeate into their foundation and help each and every one fulfill their destiny with joy and love, as I wish for you,' Ladd said as she accepted the honors, according to People.
