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The Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Ladd, a Hollywood veteran passed away at the age of 89.

The star, whose filmography featured Chinatown, passed away at home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was revealed through a message from her offspring, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.

Her daughter, who appeared with her mom in a number of films including Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my amazing hero and my precious gift being my mom”, writing that she was by her side when she passed.

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

Beginnings and Breakthrough

Her initial acting years included supporting roles in television programs like Gunsmoke whereas the 1970s featured her performing next to actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she appeared with actress Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s celebrated dramatic comedy Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a classic. The performance brought Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.

Subsequent Years

Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in the dramatic film Black Widow, a suspense story and humorous film National Lampoon’s holiday comedy while also joining the sitcom Alice, a television series derived from her earlier movie.

In the following decade, she earned a further supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she played the parent of her biological child Laura Dern’s role. The next year she was awarded another nomination for her role 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 brought us to the UK for a royal premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd said regarding Rambling Rose. “And she sat between us, grasping our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”

The 1990s also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club reuniting her with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, featuring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern again. The decade also saw her score TV award nominations for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Working with Laura Dern

She continued to star with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, a movie, the David Lynch project Inland Empire, a surreal film and Mike White’s satirical show Enlightened, a TV series. She was also seen next to actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in the film Joy.

Subsequent TV appearances featured Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Writing and Directing

Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck featuring her and former husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is an excellent performer,” she said. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a movie. Actually, I’m the only woman in recorded history to direct her ex-husband. I often joke: ‘I tell women, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ Though I’m just teasing.”

Family Ties

She happened to be the third cousin of Tennessee Williams, who she called “a major inspiration on my life”.

During 2018, Ladd was misdiagnosed with lung disease and informed her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health when her daughter shifted her to a new hospital.

“When you use your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead use it to explore, to clarify the journey for yourself and others, then you are succeeding,” Ladd said.