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This Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd left us aged 89.

This actor, whose filmography spanned Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home in Ojai, California. Her passing was revealed in a statement shared by her offspring, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern, her daughter.

Dern, who performed alongside her mother in several movies like Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero plus my precious gift being my mom”, stating that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist along with empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Early Career and Breakthrough

Her initial acting years featured supporting roles in TV shows including Perry Mason while the seventies saw her starring next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

That very year, the year 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.

Subsequent Years

Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow, a suspense story as well as funny follow-up Christmas Vacation and also took part in the show Alice, a sitcom derived from her earlier movie.

In the following decade, she received another best supporting actress nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she received an additional nod for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.

“This was the picture that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited Laura and I to London for a premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”

That decade also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played the mother of Dern again. That period also brought her TV award nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She persisted in performing with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and White’s dark comedy series Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

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

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy film Mrs Munck that included her and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I was honored to direct him on a project. In fact, I’m the only woman ever who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Life

Ladd was also a relative of Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a great influence throughout my life”.

In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and told her life expectancy was six months yet she recovered completely once her daughter transferred her to a new hospital.

“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering like an injury, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.