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This award-nominated actor Diane Ladd left us 89 years old.

The star, whose filmography included Chinatown, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was shared in a statement by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Dern, who performed alongside her mother in several movies like Rambling Rose, described her as “my wonderful hero and my precious gift of a mother”, stating that she was present during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Beginnings and Rise to Fame

The start of her career saw supporting roles on television series like The Fugitive whereas the 1970s featured her performing alongside the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

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

Subsequent Years

Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the show Alice, a sitcom derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she was given another supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the mother of her biological child the character played by Dern. The next year she obtained a further nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Dern.

“This was the picture which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew me and Laura to London for a special screening and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared about the film Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”

The 1990s also saw roles in comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother another time. The decade also saw her score Emmy nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She continued to star with her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

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

Writing and Directing

Ladd also wrote and helmed the humorous movie Mrs Munck that included herself and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “It was a privilege to guide him in a movie. Actually, I stand as the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Life

She was additionally a relative of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact in my life”.

During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and told she only had half a year left but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead use it to discover, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.