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The Academy Award-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.

The actress, whose filmography included Chinatown, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. The news was announced through a message shared by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who starred with her mother in a number of films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero and my precious gift of a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside when she passed.

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

Beginnings and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career saw minor parts on television series like Perry Mason and the 1970s saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus comedy sequel Christmas Vacation while also joining Alice, a television series inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she was given another supporting actress nomination for her part in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she received an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which included her daughter.

“This movie that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought Laura and I to the UK for a premiere and an event for us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”

The 1990s included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Ellen 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 once more. Those years also saw her score TV award nominations for performances on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She continued to star with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

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

Behind the Camera

She also authored and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. In fact, I’m the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Life

She happened to be the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a significant impact on my life”.

During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and advised her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely when her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, instead apply it to explore, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.