Diane Keaton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Diane Keaton
Keaton in 2012
Born	Diane Hall (1946-01-05) January 5, 1946 (age 79) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Santa Ana College Orange Coast College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1966–present
Children	2
Awards	Full list

Diane Keaton (born January 5, 1946) is a famous American actress. She has had a successful career for over 50 years. She has won many important awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. She was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. Diane Keaton was honored with a special tribute in 2007 and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

Keaton started her acting career on stage in 1968 in the musical Hair. The next year, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in Woody Allen's play Play It Again, Sam. She first appeared in a movie in 1970. She became very well-known for her role as Kay Adams in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972). She played this role again in Part II (1974) and Part III (1990). She often worked with Woody Allen, starting with the movie version of Play It Again, Sam (1972). Her movies with him like Sleeper (1973) and Love and Death (1975) showed her talent for comedy. In 1977, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Annie Hall.

She was also nominated for an Oscar for her roles in Reds (1981), Marvin's Room (1996), and Something's Gotta Give (2003). She is known for her roles in serious movies like Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and Interiors (1978). She also starred in many comedies such as Manhattan (1979), Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), The First Wives Club (1996), and Finding Dory (2016).

Early Life and Education

Diane Hall was born in Los Angeles, California, on January 5, 1946. Her mother, Dorothy, was a homemaker and loved photography. Her father, John, was a real estate broker and engineer. Diane's mother won a "Mrs. Los Angeles" pageant, which inspired Diane to become an actress. She also looked up to Katharine Hepburn, who played strong and independent women in movies.

Diane graduated from Santa Ana High School in 1963. She enjoyed singing and acting in school plays. After high school, she studied acting at Santa Ana College and Orange Coast College. However, she left college after a year to pursue acting in Manhattan. She changed her last name to Keaton, her mother's maiden name, because another actress was already named Diane Hall. For a short time, she also sang in nightclubs.

Keaton studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. She learned a technique called the Meisner technique, which focuses on acting with other people. She believes that her acting is best when she works well with her co-stars. Another actor, Jack Nicholson, said that Diane memorizes the entire script before filming, which is very unusual.

Career Highlights

Early Career and The Godfather

In 1968, Diane Keaton was an understudy in the Broadway musical Hair. She became known for not taking off her clothes during a scene, even though it was optional. After Hair, she auditioned for Woody Allen's play Play It Again, Sam. She got the part and was nominated for a Tony Award.

Keaton with Woody Allen and Jerry Lacy in the play Play It Again, Sam (1969/1970)

Keaton made her movie debut in Lovers and Other Strangers (1970). She also appeared in TV shows like Love, American Style and Mannix.

Her big break came in 1972 when she played Kay Adams in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. She played the girlfriend and later wife of Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino. Coppola chose her because of her unique personality. The Godfather was a huge success and won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Two years later, she played Kay Adams again in The Godfather Part II. Her character became more unhappy with her husband's criminal life. Even though the movies were very popular, some critics felt her role was small. However, Empire magazine said she was a "quiet lynchpin" in the male-dominated films.

Stardom with Annie Hall

Keaton worked with Woody Allen many times in the 1970s. She played many interesting characters in his comedies and dramas, including Sleeper, Love and Death, and Manhattan. Allen has said that Keaton was his inspiration during his early movie career.

In 1977, Keaton won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Allen's romantic comedy-drama Annie Hall. This is one of her most famous roles. Many people believed Annie Hall was based on Allen's relationship with Keaton. The character Annie Hall was inspired by Diane, even using her nickname "Annie" and her original last name "Hall." Many of Keaton's real-life habits and humor were added to the role. She played a couple living in New York City who were often together and then apart. Her acting was described as "awkward, self-deprecating, speaking in endearing little whirlwinds of semi-logic." Annie Hall was a big success and won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Keaton's unique style in Annie Hall made her a fashion icon. She wore vintage men's clothing, like neckties, vests, baggy pants, and fedora hats. Some of the clothes in the movie were her own. After the movie, men's clothing became popular for women. She is known for wearing men's vintage clothes and often appears in public wearing gloves and classic outfits.

In 1977, her photo was on the cover of Time magazine, calling her "the funniest woman now working in films." Later that year, she took on a more serious role in the drama Looking for Mr. Goodbar. In this movie, she played a Catholic schoolteacher for deaf children who lived a complicated secret life. Keaton was interested in the role because it explored a "psychological case history."

Besides acting, Keaton also loved photography. She published a book of her photos of hotel interiors called Reservations in 1980.

Established Actress and Continued Success

In 1979, Keaton and Woody Allen stopped working together for a while after Manhattan. In 1978, she started a relationship with Warren Beatty. Two years later, he cast her in his historical drama Reds. She played Louise Bryant, a journalist and feminist. Beatty wanted her to bring her natural nervousness to the role. Reds was highly praised, and Keaton's performance was especially admired. The New York Times called her "nothing less than splendid." Keaton received her second Academy Award nomination for this role.

Keaton (right) at the White House with First Lady Nancy Reagan and Warren Beatty (December 1981)

In 1982, Keaton starred in the drama Shoot the Moon with Albert Finney. She played Faith Dunlap, whose marriage problems affect her children. Critics praised her performance. Pauline Kael wrote that Keaton "acts on a different plane from that of her previous film roles." She received another Golden Globe nomination for this movie.

In 1984, Keaton starred in Mrs. Soffel, a film based on a true story about a prison warden's wife who falls in love with a convicted murderer. Two years later, she starred with Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek in Crimes of the Heart. Her performance was well-received.

In 1987, Keaton starred in Baby Boom, where she played a busy Manhattan career woman who suddenly has to take care of a baby. This movie was a success. That same year, she had a small role in Allen's film Radio Days as a nightclub singer.

Keaton also started directing films. In 1987, she directed Heaven, a documentary about the idea of an afterlife. She also directed music videos and TV episodes.

Mature Roles and Reunions

By the 1990s, Keaton was known as a very popular and flexible actress. She started playing more mature roles, often as mothers in middle-class families. She tried to avoid playing the same type of character.

In 1991, she starred with Steve Martin in the family comedy Father of the Bride. This was her first big hit after some less successful movies. She played her role again four years later in the sequel, as a woman who gets pregnant at the same time as her daughter.

Keaton played Kay Adams again in The Godfather Part III (1990). In 1993, she starred in Manhattan Murder Mystery, her first big movie with Woody Allen since 1979. Critics praised her performance, saying she "nicely handles her sometimes buffoonish central comedic role." She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for this role.

In 1995, Keaton directed Unstrung Heroes, a movie about a boy whose mother gets sick. The film was generally well-received by critics.

Keaton's most successful movie of the 1990s was the 1996 comedy The First Wives Club. She starred with Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler as three middle-aged women whose husbands left them for younger women. The movie was a huge success, earning over $105 million. It became a favorite among middle-aged women. Critics praised Keaton and her co-stars. In 1997, Keaton, Hawn, and Midler received a special award for their work in expanding the role of women in entertainment.

Also in 1996, Keaton played Bessie, a woman with leukemia, in Marvin's Room. Meryl Streep played her sister, and Leonardo DiCaprio played her nephew. Critics praised the film, and Keaton earned her third Academy Award nomination.

Comedies and Recent Work

In 2000, Keaton directed and starred in Hanging Up, a drama about three sisters dealing with their elderly father's illness. The movie did not do well with critics.

In 2001, Keaton co-starred with Beatty in Town & Country, which was not successful. She also starred in several TV movies, playing different roles like a nun, a mother, and a bookkeeper.

Keaton's next big hit was the 2003 romantic comedy Something's Gotta Give, directed by Nancy Meyers. She starred with Jack Nicholson. They were seen as a bold choice for lead roles in a romantic comedy because of their age. Keaton played a playwright who falls in love with her daughter's much older boyfriend. The movie was a huge success, earning $125 million in North America. Critics praised Keaton and Nicholson's performances. Keaton received her fourth Academy Award nomination for this role.

In 2005, Keaton starred in the comedy The Family Stone, playing a breast cancer survivor and mother of a large family. The movie was a moderate success.

In 2010, Keaton starred with Rachel McAdams and Harrison Ford in the comedy Morning Glory. She played a veteran TV host who needs to boost her show's ratings. The movie was a moderate success, and Keaton was praised for her performance.

In 2012, Keaton starred in Darling Companion with Kevin Kline. She played a woman whose husband loses her dog, leading to a search party. Critics praised Keaton's performance.

In 2013, she starred in The Big Wedding with Robert De Niro. They played a divorced couple who pretend to be married for their adopted son's wedding. The movie received mostly negative reviews.

In 2014, Keaton starred in And So It Goes with Michael Douglas and 5 Flights Up with Morgan Freeman. In 5 Flights Up, they played a long-married couple considering selling their apartment. That same year, Keaton received the Golden Lion Award at the Zurich Film Festival.

In 2016, Keaton voiced Jenny, Dory's mother, in Disney and Pixar's animated movie Finding Dory. This movie was a huge success, earning over $1 billion worldwide. It became the biggest animated film of all time in the US. Also in 2016, Keaton appeared in the HBO series The Young Pope, playing a nun who raised the new Pope.

In 2018, Keaton starred in Book Club with Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen. They played four friends who read a book as part of their book club and start to change their personal relationships. The movie was a big commercial success, earning over $100 million. In 2019, Keaton starred in Poms as a woman who starts a cheerleading squad in a retirement home.

Personal Life

Relationships and Family

Diane Keaton has had relationships with several famous people. She dated Woody Allen during the play Play It Again, Sam. They worked together on eight movies and remain close friends.

Keaton also had a relationship with her Godfather co-star Al Pacino. Their relationship ended after filming The Godfather Part III. Keaton said Pacino was "the most entertaining man."

She also dated Warren Beatty when they starred together in Reds (1981). This relationship ended after the movie was finished. Keaton remains friends with Beatty.

In 2001, Keaton said that not being married has not made her life any less meaningful. She decided to become a mother at age 50 after her father passed away. She has two adopted children. She said that motherhood has "completely changed" her and is the "most completely humbling experience."

Other Activities

Keaton has been a vegetarian since around 1995. She continues to enjoy photography and has published several books of her pictures. She has also edited collections of old photographs.

Keaton has worked as a producer on movies and TV shows. She produced the TV series Pasadena and the 2003 drama Elephant, which was about a school shooting. She said producing Elephant made her think about her responsibility to understand young people.

Since 2005, Keaton has written for The Huffington Post. Since 2006, she has been the face of L'Oréal. She is against plastic surgery, believing her face should look natural.

Keaton is involved in campaigns to save and restore historic buildings in Los Angeles. She is a fan of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. She has also bought, renovated, and resold several mansions in Southern California.

In 2011, Keaton wrote her first memoir, Then Again, which used her mother's private journals.

Acting Style and Legacy

Diane Keaton is considered one of the greatest American actresses from the 1970s. She is known for her unique style and for being able to act well in both comedies and serious dramas. The New York Times described her as "remarkably skilled" at playing Woody Allen's "flustered muse" in comedies, as well as "shy, self-conscious women" in dramas like Looking for Mr. Goodbar and Reds. She has been praised for always trying new and challenging roles.

Critics say Keaton is popular because she seems friendly and humble. She has a "megawatt personality" that makes everything around her sparkle. She is known for her "wry sense of humor" and unique style.

Deborah C. Mitchell wrote that Keaton often plays "a complex, modern American woman, a paradox of self-doubt and assurance." This became her trademark. Her role in Annie Hall was very important for women in American culture.

When asked what made Keaton funny, Woody Allen said she is "the finest screen comedienne we've ever seen," comparing her to Judy Holliday. He said her humor comes from her character, not just her lines. In 2017, Keaton received the AFI Life Achievement Award, one of the highest honors in American cinema. Woody Allen presented the award to her.

Performances and Works

Film

Television

Theater

Music videos

Awards and Honors

Diane Keaton has won many awards. She received an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977). She was also nominated for three more Academy Awards for Reds (1981), Marvin's Room (1996), and Something's Gotta Give (2003). She was nominated for an Emmy Award for Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight (1994). Keaton has received 12 Golden Globe Award nominations, winning for Annie Hall (1977) and Something's Gotta Give (2003).

Keaton has also received many honors for her acting and fashion style. In 1991, she received the Hasty Pudding Theatricals Award for Woman of the Year from Harvard. In 1996, she won the Golden Apple Award as Female Star of the Year with her The First Wives Club co-stars Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler. She also received the Crystal Award in 1997 and the Icon Award in 1998.

In 2004, Keaton won the AFI Star Award. In 2005, she received a Lifetime Achievement award from the Hollywood Film Awards. She was honored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 2007. In 2014, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Manaki Brothers Film Festival and the Golden Icon Award at the Zurich Film Festival. In 2017, she was honored by the American Film Institute with a Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by her friend and frequent collaborator Woody Allen. Many other famous actors, like Steve Martin, Meryl Streep, and Al Pacino, also paid tribute to her. In 2018, she received a Special David award at the David di Donatello Awards.

See also

In Spanish: Diane Keaton para niños

• List of American film actresses
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations
• List of actors with more than one Academy Award nomination in the acting categories
• List of Golden Globe winners