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This Oscar-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away aged 89.

The star, with roles included Chinatown, left this world in her residence at her Ojai, California home. The news was shared in a statement by her child, award-winning actress her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who starred with her mother in a number of films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother”, writing that she was by her side during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist and compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she expressed. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career included small roles in TV shows including The Fugitive and the seventies featured her performing next to actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.

1980s and Beyond

During the eighties, she was seen in crime thriller the movie Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program based on her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she received an additional supporting actress nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the parent of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she was awarded an additional nod for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie which included Laura Dern.

“This was the picture which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited Laura and I to London for a premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”

The 1990s featured performances in humorous films Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern again. Those years also saw her score Emmy nominations for roles on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She continued to star alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan, a drama and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Filmmaking Ventures

Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck, a film that included her and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him in a film. 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 seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Life

She happened to be a relative of the great Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration in my life”.

Back in 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a pulmonary condition and informed she had just six months to live but she regained full health when her daughter moved her to a new hospital.

“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.