Diane Keaton, the actress famous for Annie Hall, The Godfather, Reds, Father of the Bride, and First Wives’ Club, has died at the age of 79. Her death was confirmed by her film producer on October 11. Although the cause remains unknown, Keaton’s health had been declining for a few months.
She was born Diane Hall, but took her mother’s maiden name for stage and screen. She got her start in a Broadway production of Hair, the 1960s hippie musical that features a nude scene at the end. Keaton famously refused to show up on stage nude for that scene.
Made Famous By Woody Allen
Her involvement with this production, and perhaps her notoriety from it, caught the attention of famed director Woody Allen, whom Keaton has since credited with propelling her career. Allen cast her in the stage version of Play It Again, Sam, then later in the screen version. With Woody Allen, she made a total of five films, also appearing in Sleeper, Love and Death, and Manhattan. Her role in Annie Hall is considered one of her defining roles and earned her an Oscar in 1978. Keaton also stood by Allen in the controversy over his daughter.
However, before she made movies with Woody Allen, she played a role that would prove to Hollywood that she could do drama: that of Kay Adams-Corleone, wife of Michael Corleone, aka The Godfather. Keaton would play the character for all three movies in the Godfather franchise. The Godfather won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1972, and although Diane Keaton didn’t win for her performance, she showed the world that there was more to her talent than singing, dancing, and comedy.
Diane Keaton Off Camera
Off-screen, she was known for her unconventional fashion sense, which she credits to her admiration of Katherine Hepburn. Like her famous predecessor, Keaton was known for often wearing pants; she also frequently wore women’s vests or oversized outfits, and her best-known accessory was a bowler hat.
She had a lot of famous romances, such as with Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson, but never married. She adopted two children, a girl named Dexter and a boy named Duke, when she was 50 and 55, respectively, becoming a single mom at an advanced age but continuing to be a powerhouse both in Hollywood and in other fields. She was also a photographer, a writer of several books, including memoirs, and even a real estate developer.
Keaton’s health had declined over several months, during which she sold some of her beloved properties. However, she kept her affairs private, so her death has been a shock to fans all over the world.
Many of her former co-stars and colleagues, such as Francis Ford-Coppola, Sarah Jessica-Parker, and Woody Allen, have memorialized her through tributes, such as Allen’s essay about her in The Free Press. The amazing actress will live on through her films and her death is a loss to cinema.