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The award-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.

This star, whose filmography featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was shared in a statement shared by her daughter, award-winning actress Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who starred with her mom in various films such as Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero and my special gift of a mother”, noting that she was at her bedside during her final moments.

“She was the greatest mother, daughter, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were fortunate to know her. She is now with the angels.”

Initial Roles and Major Success

Ladd’s early career featured small roles in television programs including The Fugitive whereas that decade saw her starring with actor Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

In the same year, 1974, she performed alongside Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s celebrated comedy drama Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. Her role landed Ladd her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

During the eighties, she starred in the thriller the movie Black Widow plus funny follow-up National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a sitcom derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she received a further supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she played the mother of her biological child Dern’s character. The next year she obtained an additional nod for her acting in the film Rambling Rose which also starred Dern.

“This was the film which Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew us to the UK for a royal premiere and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, grasping our hands, and crying, watching us perform.”

The 1990s included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with Burstyn, the movie Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Dern’s mother another time. The decade also brought her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles on Dr Quinn, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Working with Laura Dern

She kept appearing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and the series by Mike White satirical show Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and with Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

Her later TV roles featured Ray Donovan, a drama plus Young Sheldon.

Filmmaking Ventures

She also authored and oversaw the humorous movie the movie Mrs Munck that included herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him on a project. In fact, I am the sole female ever to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Family Ties

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

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

“Should you harness your suffering and avoid letting it accumulate like an injury, instead apply it to discover, to clarify the journey for you and those around, then you are succeeding,” Ladd expressed.