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The award-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.

The actor, whose roles spanned Chinatown, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. Her passing was shared through a message shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.

Dern, who performed alongside her mom in several movies including Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero plus my profound gift of a mother”, stating that she was at her bedside as she died.

“She was the most wonderful daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist as well as empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Beginnings and Rise to Fame

The start of her career saw minor parts in television programs such as The Fugitive whereas the seventies had her appearing alongside Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

That very year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

During the eighties, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow plus funny follow-up Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a comedy program inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she earned another Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she acted as the mom of her biological child the character played by Dern. A year later she obtained another nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Laura Dern.

“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited us to London for a premiere and an event dedicated to us,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and crying, seeing us act.”

The nineties also saw roles in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, with John Travolta and Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother another time. That period also earned her TV award nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.

Collaborations with Daughter

She continued to star alongside her daughter in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened. She was also seen next to Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Subsequent TV appearances consisted of the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Filmmaking Ventures

Ladd also wrote and directed the comedy Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. Actually, I’m the only woman in history to direct her ex-husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Family Ties

Ladd was also the third cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration throughout my life”.

In 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with a respiratory illness and advised she only had half a year left but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.

“If you can take your pain and not let it back up similar to a wound, rather utilize it to explore, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.