Hollywood bids farewell to Diane Keaton, the legendary actress known for her vibrant, often unconventional, yet always charmingly self-deprecating style. An Academy Award winner for her role in Woody Allen’s classic comedy ‘Annie Hall,’ Keaton graced the screen in approximately 100 films and television productions, showcasing remarkable versatility in both lighthearted comedies such as ‘Sleeper’ and ‘The First Wives Club,’ and profound dramas like ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Marvin’s Room.’ She passed away at 79.
Dori Rath, who produced several of Ms. Keaton’s recent films, confirmed her passing. Details regarding the location, time, and cause of death were not immediately disclosed.
At 31, and with eight films (mostly comedies) already under her belt, Keaton rose to iconic status as the titular character in ‘Annie Hall’ (1977). Her portrayal of the ambitious, yet insecure, New Yorker with a distinctive style left an indelible mark. Annie Hall became synonymous with her cheerful, therapy-driven insights, groundbreaking menswear-inspired fashion, famously questionable driving abilities, and subtle nods to a wholesome Midwestern background.
Her acceptance of the Academy Award in 1978 was as memorable as her character, with Keaton sporting a unique ensemble: a linen jacket, two full linen skirts, a scarf over a white shirt, a black string tie, and high heels paired with socks. In her 2014 memoir, ‘Then Again,’ she humorously reflected on this unforgettable look as her ‘la-de-da’ layered get-up.
‘Annie Hall’ went on to win three more Oscars, including Best Picture, and brought Keaton a cascade of additional accolades. She received prestigious acting awards from the National Board of Review, the National Society of Film Critics, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the British Academy of Film and Television Artists.
Critics universally praised her work, with The Hollywood Reporter hailing her as ‘the consummate actress of our generation.’ The review lauded her ability to infuse ‘Annie Hall’ with the ‘charm, warmth, and spontaneity’ that made the film so believable and beloved.
Keaton’s talent garnered her three more Academy Award nominations. One was for the epic, Oscar-winning drama ‘Reds’ (1981), where she portrayed Louise Bryant, an impassioned writer entangled with Greenwich Village socialists and Bolshevik revolutionaries, alongside director and co-star Warren Beatty as Jack Reed.
Her second nomination came for ‘Marvin’s Room’ (1996), a poignant film where she played a devoted daughter caring for her ailing father and eccentric aunt, only to face a leukemia diagnosis herself. The film featured an impressive cast including Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Hume Cronyn.
Her third nomination recognized her work in ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ (2003). In this romantic comedy, Keaton starred as a successful playwright who transforms a painful breakup into a hit play, catching the eye of a younger doctor (Keanu Reeves) and ultimately inspiring a notoriously commitment-phobic man her own age (Jack Nicholson) to embrace love.
Beyond her acting prowess, Keaton also ventured into directing. Her debut was ‘Heaven’ (1987), a thought-provoking documentary exploring beliefs about the afterlife. Her final directorial effort was the comic drama ‘Hanging Up’ (2000), an adaptation of Delia Ephron’s novel, in which she also starred alongside Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow.
‘Unstrung Heroes’ (1995) marked her first foray into fictional filmmaking. Starring Andie MacDowell, John Turturro, and Michael Richards, the film—a charming tale of a teenage boy and his eccentric uncles—was honored at the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Un Certain Regard sidebar. Critics adored it, with Rolling Stone praising it as ‘working like a charm’ and The Washington Post calling it ‘sweet madness’ and a ‘sensitive coming-of-age story.’
A career in film was always Keaton’s primary ambition. Her playful aversion to the stage was evident when she humorously recounted on ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ in 2010, ‘Night after night? Doing a play?’ feigning a gun to her head, concluding, ‘That’s my idea of hell.’
Born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946, in Los Angeles, she was the eldest of four children. Her father, John Newton Ignatius Hall (known as Jack), was a civil engineer, while her mother, Dorothy Deanne (Keaton) Hall, was an amateur photographer who also held the title of Mrs. Los Angeles in a homemaker beauty pageant.
In her memoir, Keaton revealed that her father affectionately called her ‘Perkins’ and often addressed her as ‘Di-annie.’
She spent her formative years in Santa Ana, California. After briefly attending Santa Ana and Orange Coast community colleges, she left at 19 to pursue her acting dreams in New York City, enrolling at the esteemed Neighborhood Playhouse.
Her Broadway debut came in the groundbreaking musical ‘Hair,’ where she began in the ensemble before taking on the lead role of Sheila. Notably, she famously declined the $50 bonus offered to cast members willing to appear nude on stage.
Keaton’s Broadway career blossomed, and it was during this time that her significant collaboration with Woody Allen began in ‘Play It Again, Sam’ (1969). Playing a desirable married woman opposite Allen’s portrayal of a neurotic, divorced friend, she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
Her cinematic journey commenced the following year with ‘Lovers and Other Strangers’ (1970), where she appeared as a discontented young wife at a suburban wedding. After a few television roles, she landed the pivotal part of Kay Adams in Francis Ford Coppola’s monumental ‘The Godfather’ (1972). As the non-Sicilian girlfriend who becomes the trusting wife of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino), Keaton delivered a memorable performance. Interestingly, her real-life romance with Pacino began in 1974, the year ‘The Godfather, Part II’ was released.
Despite the widespread acclaim for ‘The Godfather,’ Keaton, known for her humble nature, was famously unenthusiastic about her own performance. She candidly told The Times after its release, ‘Right from the beginning I thought I wasn’t right for the part. I haven’t seen the film. I just decided I would save myself the pain. I had to see a few scenes because I had to loop — dub in some dialogue — and I couldn’t stand looking at myself. I thought I looked so terrible, just like a stick in those ’40s clothes!’
Just three years later, in the same year ‘Annie Hall’ premiered, Keaton took on a starkly different role in the harrowing drama ‘Looking for Mr. Goodbar.’ She delivered a ‘performance of a lifetime,’ as described by Molly Haskell in New York magazine, portraying a young teacher who frequents singles bars by night. The film was deemed ‘harrowing, powerful, appalling,’ and many speculated that her Oscar win for ‘Annie Hall’ was partly influenced by voters acknowledging her brilliant, albeit intense, work in ‘Mr. Goodbar.’
Keaton’s recurring collaboration with Woody Allen continued through many films, including the big-screen adaptation of ‘Play It Again, Sam’ (1972); the futuristic comedy ‘Sleeper’ (1973); and the period piece ‘Love and Death’ (1975), set in czarist Russia. She also showcased her dramatic range in Allen’s more serious contemporary works, ‘Interiors’ (1978) and the critically acclaimed, multiple-award-winning ‘Manhattan’ (1979).
While she modestly dismissed her early singing aspirations, Keaton lent her voice to two songs in ‘Annie Hall’ and made a charming cameo as a 1940s nightclub singer in Allen’s ‘Radio Days’ (1987). Their final collaboration on screen was ‘Manhattan Murder Mystery’ (1993).
Beyond her iconic comedic roles, Keaton shined in numerous dramas, often with subtle satirical elements. These included ‘Shoot the Moon’ (1982), co-starring Albert Finney, which explored the tumultuous divorce of a California couple; Beth Henley’s Southern Gothic ‘Crimes of the Heart’ (1986), where she played the spinster sister to Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek; and the mini-series ‘The Young Pope’ (2016), where she played a nun serving as personal secretary and confidante to Jude Law’s pontiff.
Yet, her gift for sophisticated farce remained undimmed. Before ‘Something’s Gotta Give,’ Keaton graced the screen in three other Nancy Meyers-directed comedies: ‘Baby Boom’ (1987), opposite Sam Shepard, portraying a high-powered executive who unexpectedly inherits a baby and relocates to Vermont; and both ‘Father of the Bride’ (1991) and its 1995 sequel, alongside Steve Martin.
Her comedic genius earned high praise; at a 2004 Aspen comedy festival, Nancy Meyers likened Keaton’s skills to those of classic stars Katharine Hepburn and Jean Arthur. Woody Allen, her frequent collaborator, went so far as to declare, ‘My opinion is that with the exception of Judy Holliday, she’s the finest screen comedienne we’ve ever seen.’
Additional comedic highlights in Keaton’s filmography include the 1890s-set ‘Harry and Walter Go to New York’ (1975), co-starring James Caan and Elliott Gould; the ensemble family dramedy ‘The Family Stone’ (2005), featuring Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Craig T. Nelson; ‘5 Flights Up’ (2014), opposite Morgan Freeman; and ‘Poms’ (2019), a heartwarming story about senior cheerleaders.
A monumental box-office success, ‘The First Wives Club’ (1996) saw Keaton team up with Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler in a celebrated comedy of empowerment and revenge. Her character, in a memorable plotline, discovers her trusted therapist is secretly having an affair with her estranged husband.
Keaton’s last film appearance was in ‘Summer Camp’ (2024), a comedy revolving around three lifelong friends reuniting for an eventful summer.
Her personal life often captured public attention, with romantic relationships that included Warren Beatty, Woody Allen, and Al Pacino. Despite this, Keaton never married, choosing instead to adopt two children, a son named Duke and a daughter named Dexter. Details regarding other survivors were not immediately released.
Displaying her characteristic self-deprecating humor, she quipped to People magazine in 2019, ‘Getting older hasn’t made me wiser. I don’t know anything, and I haven’t learned,’ a statement delivered with cheerful conviction.
Beyond her screen work, Keaton was also a prolific author, penning over a dozen books including volumes on fashion, art, architecture, and several memoirs. Her 2014 memoir, ‘Then Again,’ was lauded by Sheila Weller in The New York Times Book Review as ‘provocatively honest,’ portraying Keaton as ‘bitingly wry, ironic and tough about herself.’
In ‘Then Again,’ she offered a profound insight into her understanding of love, writing, ‘I learned I couldn’t shed light on love other than to feel its comings and goings and be grateful.’
Ever the thoughtful humorist, she also used her writing to playfully challenge conventional wisdom, posing the question, ‘If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, does that mean mirrors are a waste of time?’
A correction was made on Oct. 11, 2025: An earlier version of this obituary misstated the year the movie “Marvin’s Room” was released. It was 1996, not 1993.
Nicole Sperling contributed reporting.