Couples
Inside Diane Ladd’s Marriage History: Get to Know the Star’s Exes and Current Husband Robert
Academy Award nominee Diane Ladd made marriage work with her third husband, Robert Charles Hunter. The Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore actress was previously married to Bruce Dern from 1960 to 1969 and to William A. Shea Jr. from 1969 to 1976. Scroll below for more details on her relationship history.
Who Is Diane Ladd’s Ex-Husband Bruce Dern?
Bruce was born on June 4, 1936, in Chicago and later studied at the Actors Studio. He is a critically acclaimed actor, whose past roles have included 1974’s The Great Gatsby, 1978’s Coming Home, 1999’s The Haunting and 2013’s Nebraska.
Prior to his marriage to the Wild at Heart actress, Bruce was married to his first wife, Marie Dawn Pierce, from 1957 to 1959. In 1960, he walked down the aisle with Diane. They welcomed their first child together, Diane Elizabeth Dern, that same year. The child died when she was 18 months old in a swimming pool accident.
“She fell into the pool,” Diane said of her firstborn’s death during a May 2023 interview with CBS Sunday Morning. “She hit her head and knocked herself out. And it all happened instantly. And she died, and you will never get over that. I don’t care what you say to yourself. I don’t care who says what. The child is not supposed to die before the parent.”
The former couple welcomed their second child together, actress Laura Dern, on February 10, 1967. They split two years later.
Who Is Diane Ladd’s Ex-Husband William A. Shea Jr.?
Diane married the son of William Alfred Shea, whom New York’s Shea Stadium was named after. Not many details are known about their marriage, however, it’s clear that William Jr. carried on his father’s legacy. In 2008, he threw out the first pitch at the last baseball game at Shea Stadium before it was demolished.
Who Is Diane Ladd’s Current Husband, Robert Charles Hunter?
The Chesapeake Shores alum has been happily married to her third husband, Robert, since 1999. The pair have stepped out together at a number of Hollywood events, including the 2004 Vision Awards and her Hollywood Walk of Fame induction ceremony in 2010.
Diane previously gushed about how much she was enjoying being a grandparent with Robert by her side.
“I don’t love being [called] Grandma. I feel like Shirley MacLaine now — don’t say, ‘Grandma,’” Diane told Closer in September 2017. “I’m Nana Rose! I have eight grandchildren and two step-grandchildren, and I love them all.”
