Actress Diane Keaton dies at age 79 in California

Hollywood legend Diane Keaton has died at the age of 79 in California. 

The actress’s family has requested privacy at this time, People magazine reported.

Keaton was known for her performances in “The Godfather” films and her role in “Annie Hall” in 1977, for which she won the Oscar for best actress. 

Diane Keaton on Aug. 20, 2024, in Los Angeles.  (Bellocqimages/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Keaton’s acting career spanned over six decades across film, television and theater. She was the recipient of one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and one BAFTA Award, and some of her hit movies included “The First Wives Club,” “Baby Boom” and “Something’s Gotta Give.”

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Born Diane Hall in Los Angeles Jan. 5, 1946, Keaton was the eldest of four children. Her father, John Hall, was a civil engineer and real estate broker, while her mother, Dorothy Keaton Hall, was a homemaker and amateur photographer. 

After studying acting at Santa Ana College, Keaton decided to pursue a career in theater and moved to New York City, where she joined the cast of the Broadway musical “Hair” in 1968. 

Keaton with Woody Allen in 1970.  (Pierre Manevy)

In 1969, she landed her first major role on Broadway in “Play It Again, Sam,” playing the romantic lead opposite Woody Allen, who also wrote the script. Keaton earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Linda Christie. 

Keaton made her film debut in the 1970’s “Love and Other Strangers.” She went on to reprise her role as Linda in the 1972 film adaptation of “Play It Again, Sam,” which also starred Allen and marked the beginning of their longtime movie collaboration. 

The actress made her career breakthrough in 1972 after she starred as Kay Adams Corleone, the wife of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone, in Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic “The Godfather.” She reprised her role in the film’s sequels, 1974’s Academy Award-winning “The Godfather Part II” and the 1990’s “The Godfather Part III.” 

The actress made her career breakthrough after she starred as Kay Adams Corleone, the wife of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone in “The Godfather” trilogy.  (FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)

Keaton rose to stardom when she played the titular character in the 1977 movie “Annie Hall,” earning an Academy Award for her performance as the free-spirited aspiring singer. Allen co-wrote and directed the film while starring as Annie’s love interest. 

“Annie Hall” also had significant cultural impact as Keaton’s menswear-inspired wardrobe of vests, trousers and hats, which was directly inspired by her own personal style, became iconic and influenced women’s fashion in the late 1970s.

In addition to “Play It Again, Sam” and “Annie Hall,” Keaton and Allen collaborated on six other films, including “Sleeper” (1973), “Love and Death” (1975), “Interiors” (1978), “Manhattan” (1979), “Radio Days” (1987) and “Manhattan Murder Mystery.”

Keaton won an Oscar for her performance in “Annie Hall.” (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Following the success of “Annie Hall,” Keaton starred in the 1977 drama “Looking for Mr. Goodbar,” receiving her first Golden Globe nomination for her performance. In the 1980s, she starred in a string of acclaimed movies, including Warren Beatty’s historical epic “Reds,” which earned Keaton her second Oscar nomination. 

In 1987, she played the leading role in the comedy “Baby Boom,” written by Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer. She later teamed up again with Meyers for the 1991 comedy “Father of the Bride,” starring opposite Steve Martin, and reprised her role in the 1995 sequel “Father of the Bride II.” 

She went on to star in the critically acclaimed 1996 drama “Marvin’s Room,” earning her third Oscar nomination. That same year, Keaton appeared alongside Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler in the hit ensemble comedy “The First Wives Club.” 

Keaton co-starred with Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler in “The First Wives Club.” (Getty Images)

In 2003, Keaton made her late-career comeback in the romantic comedy drama with Meyers’ “Something’s Gotta Give,” co-starring Jack Nicholson. The movie was a critical and box-office success, and Keaton received her fourth Oscar nomination for her performance. 

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She continued regularly appearing in films, often in romantic or ensemble comedies, including “The Family Stone” (2005), “Because I Said So” (2007), “Mad Money” (2008), “Morning Glory” (2010), “Book Club” (2018) and “Poms” (2019), among others. 

After “Book Club” became a surprise hit, Keaton re-teamed with co-stars Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen for the 2023 sequel “Book Club: The Next Chapter.” She made her final film appearance in the 2024 comedy “Summer Camp,” opposite Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard. 

The actress also directed films, including 1987’s “Heaven” and 1995’s “Unstrung Heroes.” (Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)

Although best known for her film work, Keaton built an acclaimed career in television. The actress received an Emmy Award nomination for her role in the 1984 miniseries “The Little Drummer Girl” and later earned critical praise for her portrayal of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart in the 1994 television film “Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight,” which she also produced.

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Keaton appeared in the TV movies “Sister Mary Explains It All” (2001) and “On Thin Ice” (2003). She made her return to television in 2016 with HBO’s “The Young Pope,” portraying Sister Mary, the nun who raised Jude Law’s Pope Pius XIII.

Behind the camera, Keaton directed films including “Heaven” (1987) and “Unstrung Heroes” (1995) and was a passionate photographer and preservationist of American architecture. 

She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005. In 2017, she received the AFI Life Achievement Award honoring her six decades of work. 

Keaton is survived by her two children.  (Gilbert Flores/WWD via Getty Images)

Keaton never married, but later in life she adopted two children, a daughter, Dexter, in 1996 and a son, Duke, in 2001.

On Saturday, a source told People magazine that Keaton had struggled with health issues over the last few months.  

“She declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her,” a friend of Keaton’s told the outlet. “It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit.

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“In her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private,” the insider added. “Even longtime friends weren’t fully aware of what was happening.”

People reported that Keaton surprised many when she listed her “dream home” in Los Angeles. The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom house in Los Angeles hit the market for $25 million in March. 

She is survived by her children.