Diane Keaton Biography

Diane Keaton was the Oscar-winning star of Annie Hall, Reds, Father of the Bride, The First Wives’ Club, and many other films from the 1970s into the 21st century.

Diane Keaton first became a star in the 1970s, thanks in large part to her personal and professional relationship with Woody Allen. She appeared with him in Play It Again, Sam (1972, reprising her role from the Broadway play), Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975) and, most notably, in Annie Hall (1977, for which she won an Oscar). The latter role made her something of a fashion icon, with Keaton’s based-on-real-life wardrobe of floppy hats and men’s ties, vests, and baggy trousers.

Although more famous for her comic abilities, she held her own in dramas, including the Francis Ford Coppola series of The Godfather movies, starting in 1972. (She played Kay, the unwitting wife of mobster Michael Corleone.)

After she split with Allen, Keaton dated Warren Beatty, her co-star in Reds (1981), and appeared in more dramatic roles, including Looking For Mr. Goodbar (1977), The Little Drummer Girl (1984, from the book by John Le Carré), and Mrs. Soffel (1984, with Mel Gibson).

In the ’80s and ’90s Keaton also gained critical respect as a photographer and for directing movies, music videos and television shows (including an episode of David Lynch‘s Twin Peaks). As an actor, she had continued box office success in comedies, especially with The First Wives Club (1996, with Bette Midler) and Father of the Bride (1991, with Steve Martin).

Although she worked steadily after the 1970s, her Oscar-nominated performance in 2003’s Something’s Gotta Give (with Jack Nicholson) was hailed by some as a “comeback.” Her other films included Shoot the Moon (1982), Baby Boom (1987) and Because I Said So (2007, with Mandy Moore).