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The Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away aged 89.

This star, whose roles featured Chinatown, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was announced through a message shared by her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.

Her daughter, who performed alongside her mother in a number of films like Wild at Heart, called her “my wonderful hero as well as my profound gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist along with empathetic spirit 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

Her initial acting years featured minor parts in TV shows including Perry Mason while the seventies saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.

Later Decades

Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller the movie Black Widow and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the show Alice, a sitcom based on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she was given a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the parent of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she obtained an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.

“This was the film that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited Laura and I to the UK for a royal premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”

That decade also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother another time. Those years also brought her Emmy nominations for work on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen next to actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.

Behind the Camera

She also authored and directed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Actually, I am the sole female in history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Connections

She was additionally the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.

During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and advised she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely after her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.

“When you use your pain and not let it back up like an injury, rather utilize it to explore, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.