Diane Keaton dies at age 79; Starred in ‘Annie Hall,’ `Godfather’ films
Jesus Reyes
LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – Actress Diane Keaton, the prolific and idiosyncratic screen star whose portrayal of Woody Allen’s love interest in 1977’s “Annie Hall” brought her an Oscar for best actress, has died at the age of 79, People reported today.
The publication reported that Keaton died in California, but no details were immediately available on her cause of death, or on the specific time and location.
Keaton was born in Los Angeles in 1946. She was part of the original Broadway cast of “Hair” in 1968, and also earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Allen’s comedy “Play It Again, Sam.”
She first gained the attention of moviegoers with her portrayal of Kay Adams, the wife of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone in 1972’s epic “The Godfather,” a role she reprised in 1974’s sequel, “The Godfather Part II” and 1990’s “The Godfather Part III.”
The early 1970 also saw her launch a fruitful collaboration with Allen, starring alongside the writer/director in a string of classic comedies beginning with the film adaptation of “Play It Again, Sam” in 1972, and continuing with 1973’s “Sleeper,” 1975’s “Love and Death,” “Annie Hall” and 1979’s “Manhattan.”
Her iconic turn as the title character in “Annie Hall” is perhaps her most indelible screen creation. She played a single WASP woman from the Midwest whose romantic pairing with Allen’s neurotic Jewish character touched on many of the personal and social themes of the 1970s. The distinctive somewhat androgynous clothing she wore in the film also became a trend.
Keaton’s other notable roles include 1977’s “Looking for Mr. Goodbar,” in which she played a sexually active single teacher who falls victim to a predator, 1981’s “Reds,” in which she plays real-life revolutionary Louise Bryant opposite Warren Beatty’s John Reed, the 1984 drama “Mrs. Soffel,” 1987’s “Baby Boom,” where she played a single, working woman who inherits a baby, and “Father of the Bride” (1991) and “Father of the Bride Part II” (1995) alongside Steve Martin.
Her co-starring role alongside Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler in 1996’s “The First Wives Club” signaled a new phase of playing older women, which included 2000’s “Hanging Up” with Lisa Kudrow and Meg. Ryan, 2003’s well-received romantic comedy “Something’s Gotta Give” with Jack Nicholson, and2014’s “And So it Goes” with Michael Douglas.
Her more recent films include 2019’s “Poms” and “Book Club” (2018) and “Book Club: The Next Chapter” (2023).
She dated her three most high-profile co-stars, seeing Allen, Pacino and Beatty at various times, but remained single for her entire life.
Keaton was a vegetarian beginning in 1996. Her hobbies included photography, blogging and real estate development, and she worked with the Los. Angeles Conservancy to restore historic buildings in the Los Angeles area, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House in the Hollywood Hills.