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This Academy Award-nominated performer Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us 89 years old.

The actress, whose filmography included Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared through a message shared by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.

Laura Dern, who appeared with her mom in several movies including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my amazing hero as well as my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was present during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist along with compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Early Career and Rise to Fame

The start of her career saw small roles in TV shows like The Fugitive whereas the 1970s saw her starring with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

During the eighties, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the following decade, she earned a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress Oscar nomination for her part in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she played the mom of her biological child Dern’s character. A year later she obtained another nomination for her role in the film Rambling Rose that also featured Laura Dern.

“This movie that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew Laura and I to the UK for a royal premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”

That decade featured performances in comedy The Cemetery Club bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern another time. That period also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom plus Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

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

Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.

Filmmaking Ventures

Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film featuring her and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a movie. Actually, I stand as the only woman in recorded history who directed her former husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, direct your ex-husband.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Life

She was additionally a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.

Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and advised she only had half a year left but she regained full health once her daughter moved her to another medical facility.

“When you use your pain and not let it back up similar to a wound, instead apply it to explore, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd remarked.