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This Oscar-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.

The star, whose credits spanned Chinatown, passed away at home in Ojai, California. The news was shared via an announcement shared by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who starred with her mom in a number of films such as Rambling Rose, called her “my incredible hero plus my special gift as a mother”, noting that she was present as she died.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist and caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Early Career and Breakthrough

The start of her career featured small roles in television programs like Perry Mason and the seventies had her appearing next to Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

During that year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow plus humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she received an additional supporting actress nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the parent of her biological child Dern’s character. A year later she received another nomination for her acting in Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.

“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she brought me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”

That decade featured performances in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Dern’s mother again. That period also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She kept appearing with her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film featuring Diane Ladd and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. In fact, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration throughout my life”.

In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and informed she had just six months to live but made a full recovery once her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.

“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead use it to explore, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.