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The award-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died 89 years old.

The star, whose roles spanned Chinatown, died at her home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was shared through a message shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in several movies including Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my amazing hero as well as my profound gift as a mother”, stating that she was by her side during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist and compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career saw supporting roles in TV shows including The Fugitive while the seventies had her appearing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed film 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 plus comedy sequel Christmas Vacation while also joining Alice, a television series inspired by her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she earned a further supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the parent of her real-life daughter Dern’s character. The following year she obtained an additional nod for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred her daughter.

“This movie that Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew me and Laura to London for a premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd said about the film Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”

The nineties featured performances in the comedy Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom again. The decade also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for roles on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She continued to star with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen next to actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her later TV roles consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Writing and Directing

She also authored and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred Diane Ladd and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Actually, I’m the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Life

Ladd was also the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence throughout my life”.

In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and told she had just six months to live but she regained full health once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.

“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up similar to a wound, rather utilize it to investigate, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.