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This award-nominated performer Diane Ladd passed away 89 years old.

This actress, whose filmography included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in Ojai, California. This announcement was announced in a statement shared by her child, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.

Dern, who appeared with Diane Ladd in various films including Wild at Heart and Rambling Rose, described her as “my amazing hero and my precious gift of a mother”, stating that she was present as she died.

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

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

Her initial acting years included supporting roles on television series including Perry Mason while the 1970s featured her performing with actor Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she appeared alongside Ellen Burstyn in the Martin Scorsese acclaimed dramatic comedy the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The performance brought Ladd her initial Oscar nod as best supporting actress.

1980s and Beyond

Throughout the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller the movie Black Widow plus comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in the show Alice, a television series inspired by her earlier movie.

In the subsequent decade, she received an additional supporting actress Oscar nomination for her performance in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the parent of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. A year later she obtained another nomination for her role in Rambling Rose which included Dern.

“This was the picture that the late Princess Diana selected as her very favorite, and she brought us to the UK for a royal premiere and a celebration for us,” Ladd shared regarding Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, and weeping, seeing us act.”

That decade also saw roles in humorous films Cemetery Club reuniting her with her co-star Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, with John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth in which she portrayed Laura Dern’s mom once more. The decade also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for work on Dr Quinn, Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She persisted in performing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama the film Daddy and Them, the David Lynch project the movie Inland Empire and Mike White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She also appeared alongside Sandra Bullock in 28 Days, a movie, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

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

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy film Mrs Munck, a film that included her and ex-husband actor Bruce Dern. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I’m privileged to have directed him in a film. Indeed, I stand as the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, helm a movie with your ex.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Life

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

Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and told she only had half a year left but made a full recovery after her daughter shifted her to a different hospital.

“If you can take your pain and not let it back up like an injury, rather utilize it to explore, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are triumphing,” Ladd expressed.