Diane Keaton, one of the most iconic stars of the 1970s and beyond, has died. An Oscar-winner in 1977 for Annie Hall, Keaton starred in a litany of memorable films, including The Godfather, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Baby Boom, Father of the Bride, and Something’s Gotta Give. Keaton was 79.
Born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946, in Los Angeles, she took her stage name from her mother’s last name, as there was already a Diane Hall in the actors’ union. She began acting in high school, and studied drama at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. After acting in a Broadway production of hair, she won a part in Woody Allen‘s stage production Play It Again, Sam, which kicked off a long and fruitful working relationship with Allen. She made her film debut in the romantic comedy Lovers and Other Strangers; that film brought her to the attention of Francis Ford Coppola, who cast her in the role of reluctant Mafia wife Kay Adams in The Godfather. An enormous critical and commercial hit, it proved to be Keaton’s breakout role. She reprised the role in its 1974 sequel, and, decades later, in 1990’s The Godfather Part III.
Who Is ‘Annie Hall’?
During the 1970s, Keaton became Woody Allen‘s muse, both professionally and romantically; she starred in his films Sleeper, Love and Death, and Manhattan, among others. Allen, at the height of his creative powers, cast her in the title role of his 1977 film Annie Hall, which is believed by many to be an autobiographical account of Allen‘s relationship with the charming, bohemian Keaton. The film won Best Picture at the Oscars, and Keaton took home Best Actress for her role. Other notable roles in this period include the thriller Looking for Mr. Goodbar, the historical drama Reds (earning another Oscar nomination), and the black comedy Crimes of the Heart. Keaton’s career slumped in the early 1980s, but she had a hit with the romantic comedy Baby Boom, in which she played a workaholic yuppie who unexpectedly inherits an infant cousin.
Comedy would prove to be a strong point for her going forward into the 1990s, as she starred in the comedy hits Father of the Bride and The First Wives Club; she also accrued another Oscar nod for the AIDS drama Marvin’s Room. During this time, Keaton also began working on the other side of the camera as a director; after making her directorial debut with the documentary Heaven, she helmed the features Wildflower, Unstrung Heroes, and Hanging Up, also starring in the latter. She also directed for TV, including an episode of Twin Peaks.
Keaton earned her fourth and final Oscar nomination for the comedy Something’s Gotta Give; it was a big critical and commercial hit, and led to a number of starring roles in comedies in her final years, including Morning Glory, Book Club and its sequel, Poms, and Maybe I Do. Her final performance came in the 2024 comedy Summer Camp. Keaton is survived by her two children; we send our condolences to her friends and family.
via Collider