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The Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd has died aged 89.

This actor, with filmography featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, left this world in her residence in California’s Ojai. Her passing was announced in a statement shared by her child, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in various films including Rambling Rose, called her “my incredible hero plus my profound gift as a mother”, writing that she was present when she passed.

“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, actress, artist and compassionate soul that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

The start of her career featured small roles on television series such as Gunsmoke whereas the 1970s saw her starring next to Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she performed with actress Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese praised comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow and funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the show Alice, a comedy program based on the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

During the next ten years, she earned a further best supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart where she played the mom of her real-life daughter Laura Dern’s role. The following year she obtained another nomination for her performance in the film Rambling Rose which also starred her daughter.

“This was the film which Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she flew us to London for a premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and crying, viewing our performance.”

The nineties included parts in comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother another time. The decade also brought her TV award nominations for performances in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She kept appearing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and White’s dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen next to actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.

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

Writing and Directing

She also authored and directed the comedy Mrs Munck, a film which starred her and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. In fact, I am the sole female ever who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Connections

She happened to be the third cousin of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence throughout my life”.

During 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and advised she had just six months to live yet she recovered completely when her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.

“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up like an injury, rather utilize it to explore, to make the path clearer for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.