Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning actress celebrated for roles in Annie Hall, The Godfather and The First Wives Club, has died at age 79, according to her family. The cause has not been disclosed, and loved ones have asked for privacy.
The news was confirmed Saturday by a family spokesperson, who said Keaton passed away in California. “No further details are available at this time,” the spokesperson said in a short statement.
The Life of Diane Keaton
Keaton was born Diane Hall on Jan. 5, 1946, in Los Angeles. She later adopted her mother’s maiden name as her stage name. Her first film role came in Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), but she shot to prominence just two years later when Francis Ford Coppola cast her as Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather (1972).
Her collaboration with director Woody Allen proved defining. In Annie Hall (1977), she crafted a modern romantic heroine. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for that performance. “I just don’t like the way I look and sound,” she said in 1975, speaking of her discomfort watching her own work.
Over the decades, Keaton explored both comedy and drama. She starred in Baby Boom, Father of the Bride and Something’s Gotta Give. She also earned praise for Reds, Marvin’s Room and Shoot the Moon.
Keaton also worked behind the camera. She directed Hanging Up (2000), and helmed the documentary Heaven (1987). In 2017, she was honored with the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award.
Throughout her life, Keaton often spoke candidly. She never married but adopted two children: daughter Dexter in 1996 and son Duke in 2001. “Motherhood was not an urge I couldn’t resist… So I plunged in,” she told Ladies’ Home Journal in 2008.
She was romantically linked to Al Pacino, Warren Beatty, and Woody Allen. She defended Allen during controversies often.
In recent years, she remained active in film and media. Her final screen appearance was in Summer Camp (2024), released earlier this year. She also sustained her public presence through photography, writing, interior design projects and candid social media posts.
Keaton is survived by her two children, and a legacy that reshaped how women could express themselves in film.