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This Oscar-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran has died aged 89.

The actress, whose filmography featured Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, died at her home in California’s Ojai. The news was shared in a statement from her child, award-winning actress Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who starred with her mom in various films such as Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero and my precious gift of a mother”, writing that she was present during her final moments.

“She was the most wonderful mother, daughter, grandmother, star, artist along with caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were lucky to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Early Career and Rise to Fame

The start of her career featured supporting roles on television series including Gunsmoke and the 1970s featured her performing alongside Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she shared the screen with actress Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance brought Ladd her first Oscar nomination as best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in crime thriller Black Widow and humorous film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and also took part in the sitcom Alice, a comedy program derived from Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she received another best supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her part in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic in which she portrayed the mother of her biological child the character played by Dern. A year later she obtained another nomination for her role in Rambling Rose which included Laura Dern.

“This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she flew Laura and I to the UK for a royal premiere and a celebration dedicated to us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, holding both our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”

The nineties included parts in the comedy Cemetery Club reuniting her with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and Alexander Payne’s the movie Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed the mother of Dern another time. The decade also earned her TV award nominations for work on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire, a sitcom and Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She persisted in performing alongside her daughter in comedy drama Daddy and Them, a movie, David Lynch’s Inland Empire and Mike White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She also appeared next to Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and with Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Subsequent TV appearances featured the series Ray Donovan plus Young Sheldon.

Writing and Directing

She also authored and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and former husband Bruce Dern. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him in a film. Indeed, I’m the only woman in recorded history who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, should you desire retribution, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Personal Connections

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

Back in 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and told she had just six months to live but she regained full health once her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.

“Should you harness your suffering and not let it back up like a sore or something, rather utilize it to investigate, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.