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The Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran left us at the age of 89.

The actress, whose roles included Chinatown, passed away at home in Ojai, California. This announcement was revealed through a message by her child, Academy Award-winning star her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who starred with Diane Ladd in several movies such as Wild at Heart, called her “my wonderful hero as well as my special gift as a mother”, writing that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist along with compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she expressed. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Ladd’s early career saw small roles on television series such as The Fugitive while the 1970s saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

During that year, the year 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category.

1980s and Beyond

During the eighties, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining Alice, a television series based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she was given another best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as the mother of her actual daughter the character played by Dern. A year later she was awarded another nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included her daughter.

“This movie which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited us to England for a premiere and a party in our honor,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”

That decade also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a political comedy, with John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom again. That period also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She continued to star with Laura Dern in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and the series by Mike White comedy-drama series Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

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

Behind the Camera

She also authored and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film featuring herself and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a film. In fact, I’m the only woman ever to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Family Ties

She was additionally a family member of Tennessee Williams, who she called “a significant impact in my life”.

In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and advised her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health after her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.

“When you use your pain and not let it back up like a sore or something, instead apply it to discover, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd said.