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This Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd left us aged 89.

This actress, whose credits included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared through a message from her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who starred with Diane Ladd in a number of films including Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero as well as my profound gift as a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside when she passed.

“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist along with caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Beginnings and Rise to Fame

Her initial acting years saw minor parts on television series like Gunsmoke whereas the 1970s featured her performing with actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

During that year, the year 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.

Later Decades

During the eighties, she starred in crime thriller the movie Black Widow and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in Alice, a television series derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she was given a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she played the mother of her biological child the character played by Dern. The following year she received an additional nod for her performance in the film Rambling Rose that also featured her daughter.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited us to England for a special screening and a party in our honor,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”

The 1990s featured performances in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a satirical film, featuring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother once more. Those years also earned her TV award nominations for work on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Subsequent TV appearances included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy the movie Mrs Munck that included her and ex-husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. In fact, I am the sole female ever to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Connections

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

During 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and informed she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely once her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.

“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate similar to a wound, instead use it to investigate, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.