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The Academy Award-nominated actor Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.

This actress, whose credits featured Chinatown, died at her home at her Ojai, California home. The news was shared in a statement from her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.

Dern, who appeared with her mother in various films such as Wild at Heart, called her “my wonderful hero plus my precious gift as a mother”, noting that she was by her side during her final moments.

“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, star, artist and caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. She is flying with her angels now.”

Initial Roles and Major Success

Ladd’s early career included supporting roles in television programs like Perry Mason whereas the seventies saw her starring alongside Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd her initial Oscar nod in the supporting actress category.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in the thriller the movie Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a television series based on her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she was given another Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her actual daughter Dern’s character. A year later she was awarded a further nomination for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Laura Dern.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought us to London for a royal premiere and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, taking our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”

The 1990s also saw roles in comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Dern’s mother again. That period also earned her TV award nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She kept appearing with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She also appeared with Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances included the series Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She additionally penned and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck which starred herself and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she mentioned. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Indeed, I’m the only woman in history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I say ladies, should you desire retribution, guide your former spouse.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Life

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

In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and told she had just six months to live but she regained full health after her daughter moved her to a different hospital.

“When you use your pain and not let it back up similar to a wound, instead use it to investigate, to make the path clearer for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.