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This Oscar-nominated actor the celebrated Diane Ladd left us at the age of 89.

The actor, whose credits included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in California’s Ojai. Her passing was revealed via an announcement shared by her child, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.

Dern, who starred with her mom in several movies like Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my incredible hero plus my special gift as a mother”, writing that she was by her side as she died.

“She was an exceptional daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist along with compassionate soul that felt like a dream come true,” she stated. “We were fortunate to know her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Initial Roles and Rise to Fame

The start of her career featured supporting roles on television series such as The Fugitive while the seventies featured her performing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in the film Chinatown.

During that year, 1974, she performed with Ellen Burstyn in Scorsese’s praised comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her role landed Ladd an Academy Award nomination in the supporting actress category.

Subsequent Years

In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film the movie Black Widow as well as humorous film Christmas Vacation while also joining the sitcom Alice, a television series inspired by the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she earned an additional Oscar nomination for supporting actress Academy Award nomination for her role in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart where she acted as the mother of her actual daughter Laura Dern’s role. The next year she was awarded another nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie which also starred Laura Dern.

“This was the picture which Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she brought me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and a party for us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She positioned herself between us, taking our hands, and weeping, viewing our performance.”

The nineties featured performances in humorous films Cemetery Club, a film bringing her back with Ellen Burstyn, Primary Colors, a comedy about politics, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne the movie Citizen Ruth where she acted as Dern’s mother once more. The decade also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire plus Touched by an Angel.

Partnerships with Her Daughter

She kept appearing with her daughter in films blending humor and drama Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire and White’s comedy-drama series Enlightened. She was also seen alongside Sandra Bullock, a star in 28 Days, Sir Anthony Hopkins in The World’s Fastest Indian and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

Her later TV roles included Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon, a comedy.

Writing and Directing

Ladd also wrote and oversaw the comedy Mrs Munck, a film that included herself and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she said. “I was honored to direct him on a project. Actually, I’m the only woman ever who directed her former husband. I humorously say: ‘I advise females, if you want revenge, guide your former spouse.’ But I’m only kidding.”

Personal Connections

She was additionally a family member of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a major inspiration in my life”.

Back in 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with a respiratory illness and informed she had just six months to live but made a full recovery when her daughter shifted her to another medical facility.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering like a sore or something, instead apply it to investigate, to illuminate the way for personal and collective growth, then you are succeeding,” Ladd remarked.