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The Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd has died aged 89.

This actor, with credits included Chinatown, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was shared through a message shared by her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern.

Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in several movies such as Rambling Rose, described her as “my incredible hero plus my profound gift being my mom”, writing that she was by her side during her final moments.

“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Early Career and Breakthrough

Ladd’s early career saw supporting roles on television series including Gunsmoke whereas the seventies saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow as well as funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and appeared on the sitcom Alice, a television series based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she was given an additional best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the parent of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The next year she obtained a further nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred her daughter.

“This was the film which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited us to England for a premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, with tears, watching us perform.”

The nineties featured performances in the comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played Laura Dern’s mom another time. The decade also brought her TV award nominations for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She kept appearing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared alongside actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances featured the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Filmmaking Ventures

She additionally penned and helmed the comedy film Mrs Munck featuring her and former husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Indeed, I’m the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact throughout my life”.

Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and advised her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health after her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.

“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead apply it to discover, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.