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The award-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us aged 89.

The actress, whose roles spanned Chinatown, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was shared via an announcement shared by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who appeared with her mom in several movies like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero and my profound gift of a mother”, stating that she was present when she passed.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist as well as caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Beginnings and Rise to Fame

The start of her career saw minor parts on television series like Gunsmoke and the seventies had her appearing next to Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

In the same year, the year 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.

Subsequent Years

During the eighties, she appeared in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a sitcom based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she earned a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. The next year she was awarded an additional nod for her acting in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured her daughter.

“This was the picture which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought me and Laura to London for a royal premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”

That decade also saw roles in comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom once more. Those years also saw her score TV award nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She kept appearing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared with Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her later TV roles consisted of the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film which starred herself and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a film. In fact, I’m the only woman ever to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact on my life”.

In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and advised she only had half a year left but made a full recovery once her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.

“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.