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This Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away at the age of 89.

This actor, whose roles spanned Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. This announcement was shared in a statement from her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.

Laura Dern, who starred with her mom in various films including Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my amazing hero plus my profound gift of a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside when she passed.

“She was an exceptional grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist along with compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”

Beginnings and Rise to Fame

Her initial acting years featured small roles in TV shows including The Fugitive and that decade saw her starring with Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

That very year, the year 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s praised film the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story and funny follow-up Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a television series derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she was given a further best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the parent of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she was awarded an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.

“This movie which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited us to the UK for a special screening and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, taking our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”

That decade included parts in comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, featuring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Dern’s mother again. That period also earned her TV award nominations for work on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Collaborations with Daughter

She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She was also seen next to actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

Her more recent television parts included Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon.

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and directed the humorous movie Mrs Munck, a film featuring Diane Ladd and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. Actually, I’m the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact on my life”.

Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a pulmonary condition and informed she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.

“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd remarked.