79 Facts About Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton passed away today at age 79, leaving behind a legacy that shaped film, fashion, and storytelling forever. Few stars glowed with the warmth, wit, and originality of Diane Keaton. Across five decades, she lit up Hollywood — from The Godfather to Annie Hall — with a voice, a style, and a spirit that were entirely her own. Here are 79 facts celebrating her extraordinary life and legacy.

1. Diane Keaton was born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946, in Los Angeles, California.
2. She was the eldest of four children raised in Santa Ana, California.
3. Her mother, Dorothy Deanne Keaton, was a homemaker and amateur photographer.
4. Her father, John Newton Ignatius Hall, was a real estate broker and civil engineer.
5. Keaton’s mother once won the “Mrs. Los Angeles” pageant for homemakers.
6. Watching her mother perform inspired Diane to pursue acting.
7. She graduated from Santa Ana High School in 1963.
8. At school, she starred as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire.
9. She studied at Santa Ana College before transferring to Orange Coast College.
10. Diane left college after a year to chase her acting dreams in New York City.
11. She trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.
12. She studied the Meisner technique of acting.
13. Upon joining the Actors’ Equity Association, she adopted her mother’s maiden name, Keaton.
14. She chose the name to avoid confusion with another actress named Diane Hall.
15. Keaton briefly sang in New York nightclubs early in her career.
16. In 1968, she joined the original Broadway cast of Hair.
17. She became known for refusing to appear nude in Hair’s finale.
18. The decision earned her respect and attention on Broadway.
19. In 1969, she starred in Woody Allen’s play Play It Again, Sam.
20. Her performance earned her a Tony Award nomination.
21. Diane made her film debut in Lovers and Other Strangers (1970).
22. She appeared on TV shows like Love, American Style and Night Gallery.
23. In 1972, she portrayed Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather.
24. Francis Ford Coppola cast her for her offbeat charm and originality.
25. The film won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Picture.
26. She reprised her role in The Godfather Part II (1974).
27. She later returned for The Godfather Part III (1990).
28. Her collaborations with Woody Allen shaped her early career.
29. She starred in Sleeper (1973) and Love and Death (1975).
30. Her breakout came with Annie Hall in 1977.
31. “Annie Hall” earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
32. The character was partly based on Keaton herself.
33. Her real last name, Hall, inspired the film’s title.
34. Her Annie Hall wardrobe sparked a global fashion trend.
35. She often wore vintage men’s clothing, ties, and fedoras.
36. Her look made her a 1970s fashion icon.
37. Time magazine called her “the funniest woman now working in films.”
38. That same year, she starred in Looking for Mr. Goodbar.
39. Looking for Mr. Goodbar showed her powerful dramatic range.
40. In 1981, she starred as journalist Louise Bryant in Reds.
41. Reds earned her a second Oscar nomination.
42. She co-starred with and dated Warren Beatty during Reds.
43. Critics praised her performance as one of her finest.
44. In 1982, she starred in Shoot the Moon opposite Albert Finney.
45. Pauline Kael called her work in Shoot the Moon “revelatory.”
46. She starred in Crimes of the Heart (1986) with Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek.
47. In 1987, she led Baby Boom, playing a career woman turned mother.
48. Baby Boom marked her first collaboration with Nancy Meyers.
49. That year, she directed Heaven, a documentary about the afterlife.
50. She began directing music videos for Belinda Carlisle.
51. Keaton directed an episode of Twin Peaks.
52. She made her feature directorial debut with Unstrung Heroes (1995).
53. She returned to comedy with Father of the Bride (1991).
54. She reprised the role in Father of the Bride Part II (1995).
55. In 1993, she reunited with Woody Allen for Manhattan Murder Mystery.
56. She earned another Golden Globe nomination for the role.
57. In 1996, she starred in The First Wives Club with Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler.
58. The First Wives Club grossed over $100 million worldwide.
59. That same year, she starred in Marvin’s Room alongside Meryl Streep.
60. Marvin’s Room earned Keaton her third Oscar nomination.
61. In 2003, she starred in Something’s Gotta Give opposite Jack Nicholson.
62. The role brought her a fourth Oscar nomination.
63. Something’s Gotta Give became a box-office hit and fan favorite.
64. She starred as the matriarch in The Family Stone (2005).
65. Her performance earned her a Satellite Award nomination.
66. In 2016, she voiced Jenny, Dory’s mother, in Finding Dory.
67. The Pixar film grossed over $1 billion worldwide.
68. She co-starred in Book Club (2018) alongside Jane Fonda and Candice Bergen.
69. Book Club became her biggest hit since Something’s Gotta Give.
70. Diane was also a successful producer and director.
71. She produced Gus Van Sant’s Elephant (2003), about a school shooting.
72. Keaton published several books of photography and memoirs.
73. Her 2011 memoir Then Again was inspired by her mother’s journals.
74. She followed it with Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty (2014).
75. Her final memoir, Brother & Sister (2020), explored family and memory.
76. She was an active preservationist, restoring historic L.A. architecture.
77. Keaton received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2017.
78. She earned the Film Society of Lincoln Center Gala Tribute in 2007.
79. Diane Keaton passed away today in California at age 79, leaving behind a legacy of laughter, strength, and endless style.

Diane Keaton taught generations that brilliance could be quiet, joyful, and defiantly original. She made every scene her own — and in doing so, made Hollywood a little braver, and a lot more human.