Actress Diane Keaton dies aged 79, US media report
Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton has died at the age of 79, producer and friend of Keaton’s Dori Rath confirmed to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
Keaton, who was born in Los Angeles, shot to fame in the 1970s through her role as Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather films.
She was also known for starring roles in films including Father of the Bride, First Wives Club and Annie Hall, which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1978.
The actress, whose Hollywood career spanned more than 50 years, died in California, her family told People magazine.
For Annie Hall, Keaton also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Motion Picture and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
Throughout her illustrious career, Keaton starred in dozens of other films including 2005’s The Family Stone, 2007’s Because I Said So, 2014’s And So It Goes, as well as a number of other Woody Allen films, like Play It Again, Sam in 1972, Sleeper in 1973, Love and Death in 1975 and Manhattan in 1977.
Keaton made her film debut in the 1970 romantic comedy Lovers and Other Strangers. Her most recent film was the 2024 comedy Summer Camp where she starred alongside Eugene Levy and Kathy Bates.
Keaton also directed several films, the first of which was a 1987 documentary, Heaven, chronicling people’s beliefs about the afterlife. Her 1995 film Unstrung Heroes – a comedy-drama starring Andie MacDowell, John Turturro and Michael Richards – was selected for Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard, which showcases unique stories by emerging directors.
Most recently, Keaton directed Hanging Up in 2000, a comedy-drama starring herself, Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow.
Both in her film roles and in her personal life, Keaton was known for her quirky style that often featured menswear and a wide-brimmed hat.
Paying tribute, her First Wives Club co-star Bette Midler wrote on Instagram: “The brilliant, beautiful, extraordinary Diane Keaton has died. I cannot tell you how unbearably sad this makes me.”
“She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she was … oh, la, lala!”
Actor Ben Stiller paid tribute on X, writing: “Diane Keaton. One of the greatest film actors ever. An icon of style, humor and comedy. Brilliant. What a person.”
Keaton was nominated for three further Oscars – all in the best actress category – for her work in Something’s Gotta Give, Marvin’s Room and Reds.
She never married and had two adopted children – a daughter, Dexter, and a son, Duke.
In her 2011 autobiography titled Then Again, Keaton wrote, “I have assessed my happiness ratio and this is the result. I am totally content whenever the ones I love are happy about something little, big, insignificant, whatever. I just don’t think anyone could possibly have the same wonderful, intense, compelling feelings that I have for this family of mine.”
