U.S. actress Diane Keaton dies at 79

Diane Keaton, the eccentric American actress who won an Academy Award and stole hearts with her charming portrayal of Woody Allen’s neurotic, self-doubting girlfriend in the 1977 romantic comedy Annie Hall, has died aged 79, People magazine reported on Saturday, citing a family spokesperson.

Over the course of a career spanning more than 60 films — including The Godfather trilogy, The First Wives Club, and eight collaborations with Allen — Keaton became a distinctive figure in Hollywood, known for her androgynous fashion sense, turtlenecks, and trademark hats.

She received Oscar nominations for best actress for her performance as American journalist Louise Bryant in the 1981 political drama Reds, as a devoted aunt to Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1996 family drama Marvin’s Room, and opposite Jack Nicholson in the 2003 romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give.

Yet it was Annie Hall, loosely inspired by Allen’s own relationship with her, that cemented her place as a consummate actress.

“It was an idealised version of me, let’s put it that way,” Keaton said of the film in a 2004 interview with CBS News.

Her roles in Annie Hall and Looking for Mr Goodbar, where she played a teacher leading a double life, earned her a Time magazine cover in September 1977. That same year, Rolling Stone hailed her as “the next (Katharine) Hepburn.”

Four decades later, Woody Allen paid tribute to his long-time muse when Keaton was honoured with the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award. “From the moment I met her, she was a tremendous inspiration to me,” he said. “Much of what I’ve achieved in my life I owe to her. She’s truly remarkable.”

Beyond acting, Keaton was also a director, writer, producer, and photographer, with a keen interest in restoring historic California homes. She wrote two memoirs — Then Again (2011), in which she revealed her struggle with bulimia in her twenties, and Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty (2014).

Her private life often attracted as much attention as her films, with high-profile relationships involving Allen, Warren Beatty — her co-star and director in Reds — and Al Pacino, her on-screen partner in The Godfather films.

“Each man had his own decade,” she told The Telegraph in 2013. “Woody was my twenties, Warren was my thirties, and Al was on the border — late thirties, early forties.”

‘La-dee-da, la-dee-da, la-la’

Born Diane Hall in Los Angeles on 5 January 1946, she was the eldest of four children. She adopted her mother’s maiden name to avoid confusion with another actress.

Her father, a civil engineer, and her homemaker mother later moved the family to Santa Ana, California. After briefly attending college, Keaton relocated to New York to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse, landing a role in the 1968 Broadway musical Hair. The shy young actress, who would spend years in therapy, famously declined to appear nude in the production.

An audition for Allen’s stage play Play It Again, Sam proved life-changing. “Nothing would have happened without Woody Allen. If I hadn’t been cast in that play…” she reflected in a 2011 Vanity Fair interview.

The role earned her a Tony nomination and sparked both a romantic and professional partnership with Allen, leading to iconic films such as Sleeper, Love and Death, and Manhattan.

In Annie Hall, her spontaneous line “la-dee-da, la-dee-da, la-la” became one of cinema’s most memorable quotes, capturing her quirky, fluttery style.

Keaton continued to stand by Allen decades later, after allegations of sexual abuse against him resurfaced. “I still love him — some people remain in your life and it matters. They’re there for the long haul,” she told The Telegraph in 2013.

Her film career took off when director Francis Ford Coppola cast her as Kay Adams in The Godfather, after seeing her performance in Lovers and Other Strangers. The film, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1973, brought her widespread recognition.

As her career evolved, Keaton transitioned from ingénue roles to more mature portrayals of professional women and mothers facing personal dilemmas. She credited director Nancy Meyers for helping sustain her career through films such as Baby Boom (1987) and the 1991 remake of Father of the Bride.

Keaton also earned an Emmy nomination in 1995 for Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight, and directed several films, television episodes, and music videos for Belinda Carlisle.

Despite her many celebrated relationships, Keaton never married. “I think I was both afraid of men and drawn to incredibly talented, dazzling people,” she told Elle in 2015. “That doesn’t make for a good marriage for someone like me.”

In her fifties, she adopted two children, Dexter and Duke, which she said gave her life new meaning.

“I was wrapped up in myself for years, and this changed everything — my perspective, my purpose,” she told CBS News. “It’s all different now, in a good way. They’re both miracles.”

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