American actress Diane Keaton, winner of an Oscar, two Golden Globes, and a Bafta, feminist icon and symbol of fierce independence, passed away on Saturday at the age of 79 in California, as confirmed by her family to People magazine. Keaton made her Hollywood debut in Lovers and Other Strangers and rose to fame in 1972 for her role in The Godfather as Michael Corleone's girlfriend, played by Al Pacino. However, it was her collaborations with Woody Allen that brought her recognition and success, allowing her to define the course of her career in the following decades. Despite being nominated four times, she only won the Academy Award for Annie Hall (1977), a contemporary cinema masterpiece.
For five decades, the actress was a familiar face to the American public. Known for her talent and unique personality, she embraced labels like "eccentric" or "extravagant." She always admitted to being full of insecurities, not believing in herself at first, experiencing imposter syndrome, and even avoiding watching her own movies due to various fears that paralyzed her. Simultaneously, she was an icon of independence, defying fashion pressures for women and openly opposing cosmetic surgery or the enslavement of beauty.
She carved out her own place by embracing pants, ties, and hats like no other. She chose never to marry. While she was romantically linked to legends like Al Pacino, Warren Beatty, Woody Allen, and Keanu Reeves (though not confirmed), she opted to become a single mother by adopting two children. "Motherhood wasn't an irresistible urge; it was more of an idea that had been swirling around in my head for a long time. So I went for it," she stated in a 2008 interview with Ladies' Home Journal.
Keaton appeared in over 100 films and television series, unlike many of her colleagues who were emotionally tied to theater or felt the need to emphasize it for deeper value. She openly expressed her disdain for Broadway stages, stating that performing the same role night after night was her idea of hell. She also fearlessly explored other forms of expression and published over a dozen books on fashion or architecture, including memoirs described by The New York Times Book Review as "provocatively honest," a testament to her "bitingly ironic and self-critical" nature.
She chose never to marry. While she was romantically linked to legends like Al Pacino, Warren Beatty, Woody Allen, and Keanu Reeves (though not confirmed)
Born in Los Angeles in 1946 as Diane Hall, she was the eldest of four children. Her father was a civil engineer, and her mother was a homemaker. Her mother's unfulfilled aspirations, sacrificing a career for the family, drove her eldest daughter to break barriers, refuse to be tied down if the price was too high, and accept the consequences of her decisions. Her first director demanded she lose weight, leading to an eating disorder that prompted her to vow never to sacrifice her body, soul, or career for others' whims again. Often through sharp, self-critical humor or her distinctive, personality-laden fashion sense.
Raised in Santa Ana, California, she briefly attended various local universities. At 19, she dropped out of school and moved to New York to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse. She made her Broadway debut in the successful musical Hair, first as a cast member and later as Sheila, the lead, but true to her principles, she refused to appear nude, despite the offered bonuses.
The actress and director was pivotal in Reds with Warren Beatty. In Something's Gotta Give or Marvin's Room, films for which she received Oscar nominations. Also in Father of the Bride or The First Wives Club. In her final year, she was rarely seen in public, yet she had three projects in progress: one with Josh Hutcherson; Making Of, with Blake Lively, and Constance, directed by Mark Pellington. She continued to share her life, preferences, and the value of friendship on her Instagram account.
"The brilliant, beautiful, and extraordinary Diane Keaton has passed away. I cannot express the unbearable sadness this brings me. She was incredibly funny, completely original, and devoid of any malice or competitiveness one would expect from a star like her. What you saw was who she truly was," mourned Bette Midler last night, with whom she starred in the hit about three women abandoned by their husbands.