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This award-nominated actress the celebrated Diane Ladd has died 89 years old.

The actor, whose roles spanned Chinatown, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. The news was revealed in a statement by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.

Laura Dern, who starred with Diane Ladd in various films like Rambling Rose, called her “my incredible hero as well as my profound gift of a mother”, noting that she was by her side when she passed.

“She was an exceptional mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative as well as compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Early Career and Breakthrough

Ladd’s early career included minor parts on television series such as Perry Mason whereas that decade saw her starring alongside actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

That very year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

During the eighties, she appeared in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story plus humorous film Christmas Vacation while also joining Alice, a television series derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she earned a further supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart in which she portrayed the mom of her actual daughter Dern’s character. The next year she received another nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.

“This movie which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited us to the UK for a special screening and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”

The 1990s included parts in humorous films Cemetery Club bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she acted as Dern’s mother once more. The decade also brought her Emmy nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She kept appearing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

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

Writing and Directing

She also authored and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film featuring her and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Actually, I’m the only woman ever to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Life

She happened to be a relative of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact on my life”.

Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and advised her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery once her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.

“When you use your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead apply it to explore, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.