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The award-nominated performer Diane Ladd left us 89 years old.

The actor, whose roles included National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, died at her home in Ojai, California. Her passing was announced in a statement from her daughter, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern.

Laura Dern, who performed alongside Diane Ladd in several movies like Wild at Heart, described her as “my wonderful hero plus my precious gift of a mother”, writing that she was at her bedside when she passed.

“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, performer, creative along with caring individual that felt like a dream come true,” she wrote. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”

Initial Roles and Breakthrough

The start of her career featured minor parts in television programs including Perry Mason while the seventies had her appearing with the legendary Jack Nicholson in Chinatown.

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

Later Decades

In the 1980s, she was seen in crime thriller Black Widow plus humorous film Christmas Vacation and also took part in Alice, a sitcom derived from the film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

In the subsequent decade, she was given another best supporting actress nomination for her part in Lynch’s the movie Wild at Heart where she played the mom of her biological child Dern’s character. A year later she obtained another nomination for her performance in Rambling Rose, another movie that also featured Dern.

“This was the picture that Princess Diana chose as her absolutely favorite, and she invited me and Laura to the UK for a special screening and a celebration for us,” Ladd recalled of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, with tears, viewing our performance.”

That decade included parts in the comedy The Cemetery Club joining her again with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and Payne’s Citizen Ruth where she played the mother of Dern another time. The decade also earned her nominations for Emmy Awards for roles in Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel, a drama.

Collaborations with Daughter

She kept appearing alongside her daughter in dramatic comedies the film Daddy and Them, Lynch’s Inland Empire, a surreal film and the series by Mike White dark comedy series Enlightened, a TV series. She additionally starred alongside actress Sandra Bullock in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins, a legend in The World’s Fastest Indian, a film plus Jennifer Lawrence in Joy, a biographical drama.

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

Behind the Camera

Ladd also wrote and helmed the comedy the movie Mrs Munck that included her and previous spouse Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a talented star,” she mentioned. “It was a privilege to guide him on a project. Indeed, I’m the only woman in recorded history to helm a film with her ex. I often joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, helm a movie with your ex.’ However, I’m joking.”

Family Ties

She happened to be a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, whom she described as “a great influence in my life”.

In 2018, doctors misdiagnosed Ladd with lung disease and advised her life expectancy was six months but made a full recovery after her daughter moved her to another medical facility.

“If you can take your pain and prevent it from festering similar to a wound, instead use it to explore, to make the path clearer for you and those around, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.