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The Oscar-nominated performer Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.

This actress, whose credits featured Chinatown, left this world in her residence in Ojai, California. The news was shared via an announcement by her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who appeared with her mom in a number of films including Wild at Heart, called her “my incredible hero and my special gift being my mom”, writing that she was present as she died.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, performer, creative along with caring individual that seemed almost dreamlike,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”

Early Career and Major Success

Ladd’s early career saw minor parts in TV shows including Perry Mason while the seventies had her appearing next to the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

In the same year, the year 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role earned Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

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

In the following decade, she was given an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. A year later she obtained a further nomination for her acting in the film Rambling Rose that also featured her daughter.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she invited Laura and I to the UK for a premiere and a party dedicated to us,” Ladd shared of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, holding both our hands, and weeping, watching us perform.”

That decade also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a satirical film, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy in which she portrayed the mother of Dern another time. That period also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She continued to star with Laura Dern in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She also appeared with actress Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in that movie plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

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

Behind the Camera

She also authored and directed the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck that included herself and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Indeed, I am the sole female in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I make a joke: ‘I tell women, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Life

She happened to be a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.

In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and advised she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely once her daughter moved her to a new hospital.

“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up like an injury, instead use it to explore, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.