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

The actor, whose filmography featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in Ojai, California. This announcement was shared via an announcement from her child, Oscar-winning actor her daughter Laura Dern.

Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in several movies like Wild at Heart, referred to her as “my amazing hero as well as my profound gift of a mother”, noting that she was by her side when she passed.

“She was the most wonderful grandmother, mother, daughter, star, artist along with compassionate soul that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Beginnings and Rise to Fame

The start of her career featured small roles in TV shows including The Fugitive whereas that decade had her appearing with actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, the year 1974, she shared the screen alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

Later Decades

During the eighties, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the sitcom Alice, a sitcom inspired by her earlier movie.

During the next ten years, she received an additional Oscar nomination for 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 real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. A year later she obtained an additional nod for her acting in Rambling Rose which also starred Laura Dern.

“This movie that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited us to the UK for a royal premiere and an event in our honor,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”

That decade included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Laura Dern’s mom another time. That period also saw her score nominations for Emmy Awards for performances on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She continued to star with her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

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

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and previous spouse Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Actually, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Connections

Ladd was also the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a significant impact on my life”.

In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and informed she only had half a year left but made a full recovery once her daughter transferred her to another medical facility.

“If you can take your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd said.