🔗 Share this article

The award-nominated actor Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died 89 years old.

The star, with credits featured Chinatown, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was shared via an announcement from her daughter, Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who starred with her mother in various films including Rambling Rose, called her “my wonderful hero plus my precious gift as a mother”, stating that she was by her side as she died.

“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist and caring individual that only dreams could have seemingly created,” she wrote. “We were lucky to have her. She is now with the angels.”

Beginnings and Major Success

Ladd’s early career included small roles in TV shows like Gunsmoke while the 1970s had her appearing with actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she starred in the thriller Black Widow, a suspense story and comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a comedy program derived from her earlier movie.

During the next ten years, she was given a further Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she acted as 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 Dern.

“This was the film that the late Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew Laura and I to England for a royal premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, grasping our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”

That decade also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club bringing her back with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth where she played Dern’s mother once more. That period also saw her score Emmy nominations for performances in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She kept appearing with her daughter in comedy drama the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

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

Filmmaking Ventures

She additionally penned and oversaw the humorous movie Mrs Munck featuring her and previous spouse actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Indeed, I’m the only woman ever to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”

Personal Connections

She was additionally a relative of the great Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration in my life”.

Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with lung disease and told she only had half a year left yet she recovered completely when her daughter moved her to a new hospital.

“When you use your pain and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead use it to explore, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are winning,” Ladd expressed.