Diane Keaton, whose effortless naturalism made her a perfect foil to so many live-wire actors of the 1970s in movies such as \u201cThe Godfather,\u201d \u201cThe Godfather Part II\u201d and \u201cAnnie Hall,\u201d has died. She was 79.<\/p>\n
Her death was first reported by People and confirmed by the New York Times.<\/p>\n
In an extraordinary run during the era when she was dominant, Keaton\u2019s career spanned the high points of American cinema: Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s Mafia saga and several of Woody Allen\u2019s urbane comedies, climaxing in an Oscar win for her culture-changing turn as the title character in 1977\u2019s \u201cAnnie Hall.\u201d Her catchphrase, \u201cOh well, la-di-da, la-di-da,\u201d became iconic. <\/p>\n
Over her career, she received four Oscar nominations for lead actress, winning for \u201cAnnie Hall.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born in Southern California, Keaton came to prominence after her late-1960s New York stage career, coupled with nightclub singing and acting study at the ensemble-focused Neighborhood Playhouse, led her to audition for Allen\u2019s 1969 theatrical production of \u201cPlay It Again, Sam,\u201d which brought her a Tony nomination before the age of 25. <\/p>\n
But the real prize would be her extended collaboration with Allen, which resulted in eight movies \u2014 including many of the \u201cearlier, funnier ones,\u201d per Allen\u2019s own self-deprecating phrase in \u201cStardust Memories\u201d \u2014 such as the film version of \u201cPlay It Again, Sam\u201d (1972), \u201cSleeper\u201d (1973) and \u201cLove and Death\u201d (1975).<\/p>\n
Regarding her most lasting creation, Keaton lent \u201cAnnie Hall\u201d her actual name (she was born Diane Hall and often went by Annie), along with several of her personal quirks, mined by a doting Allen, who was at one time her romantic partner. Apart from the critical raves and awards, though, the film made her a fashion icon via Annie\u2019s fedora hats, vests, ties and baggy pants. The Times once called her look \u201cfluttery, vulnerable, almost unbearably adorable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnnie\u2019s style was Diane\u2019s style \u2014 very eclectic,\u201d designer Ralph Lauren said in a 1978 story in Vogue<\/a>, soon after the movie came out. \u201cShe had a style that was all her own. Annie Hall was pure Diane Keaton.\u201d<\/p>\n She was often asked if she got tired of the notoriety \u201cAnnie Hall\u201d brought her, including the magazine covers, think pieces and fashion homages. <\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019m not. Everything is because of \u2018Annie Hall\u2019 with Woody. He has a great ear for women\u2019s voices. I\u2019m so grateful to him; he really gave me an opportunity that changed my life,\u201d she told The Times<\/a> in 2012. \u201cI\u2019m never disappointed about people talking to me about \u2018Annie Hall.\u2019 But I will say, a lot of people don\u2019t know \u2018Annie Hall\u2019 exists, and that\u2019s just the way it goes \u2014 goodbye! It\u2019s bittersweet.\u201d<\/p>\n In counterpoint to her \u201970s comic work, Keaton made a dramatic impact as Michael Corleone\u2019s girlfriend and wife Kay in three \u201cGodfather\u201d movies. Initially naive to the criminal side of the clan (\u201cThat\u2019s not me, Kay, that\u2019s my family,\u201d Al Pacino\u2019s Michael tells her in the first film\u2019s opening wedding sequence), Keaton\u2019s character becomes our surrogate, eventually pushing back and leaning into her power in the 1974 sequel. Kay is notable for adding dimension and pathos to the compromises of a mob wife, years before \u201cGoodfellas\u201d or \u201cThe Sopranos.\u201d <\/p>\n Keaton managed to capture the cultural zeitgeist in her later films, especially in four impeccably styled collaborations with the writer-director-producer Nancy Meyers, for whom she became a muse. First came 1987\u2019s \u201cBaby Boom,\u201d in which she played a successful businesswoman who upends her life to care for a relative\u2019s infant. After two \u201cFather of the Bride\u201d films, Keaton won acclaim and a fourth Oscar nomination in Meyers\u2019 \u201cSomething\u2019s Gotta Give\u201d opposite Jack Nicholson as a successful writer navigating romance in her 50s.<\/p>\n Keaton also received Oscar nominations for Warren Beatty\u2019s \u201cReds\u201d (1981) and the drama \u201cMarvin\u2019s Room\u201d (1996).<\/p>\n Nancy Sinatra, singer and daughter of Frank Sinatra, posted about Keaton\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \u201cDiane Keaton has left us and I can\u2019t tell you how profoundly sad that makes me. I adored her \u2014 idolized her,\u201d Sinatra wrote on X. \u201cShe was a very special person and an incredibly gifted actor, who made each of her roles unforgettable. Her light will continue to shine through the art she leaves behind. Godspeed, Diane. My heart goes out to her family and to each of us grieving this heartbreaking loss.\u201d<\/p>\n Posting on Instagram, Keaton\u2019s \u201cThe First Wives Club\u201d co-star Bette Midler wrote, \u201cThe 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\u2026oh, la, lala!\u201d<\/p>\n Keaton was a patron of the L.A. arts scene and also gained note as a champion of architecture preservation, remaking grand homes across the region. In collaboration with the Los Angeles Public Library, she edited a book of tabloid photos called \u201cLocal News\u201d that ran in the Los Angeles Herald-Express.<\/p>\n In a 2018 interview with The Times, she said she felt privileged to still be working.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what I am by now,\u201d she said. \u201cI know how old I am. I know what my limitations are and what I can and can\u2019t do. So if something appeals to me, I\u2019m definitely going to go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n She grew up in Santa Ana during the post-World War II housing boom in the 1950s and told The Times in an interview that she loved going to open houses with her father.<\/p>\n \u201cMy father took me to see model homes, which I thought were palaces,\u201d Keaton said.<\/p>\n She began buying and fixing up landmark homes around L.A., especially those of the Spanish Colonial style.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to get to know a house and try to keep its integrity. I try to honor the architect,\u201d she said. \u201cI love to go into an empty house. You look at the house and start to feel what it might need.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are so many house treasures, unsung gems, all over Los Angeles,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Explaining how she came to edit the book of L.A. tabloid photos, Keaton told The Times an L.A. city librarian came up to her at a swap meet.<\/p>\n