From “Annie Hall” to her final days, Diane Keaton didn’t play characters — she lived them.
Her trembling voice, her nervous laughter, and her singular gaze made cinema a more human, imperfect, and real place.
By Jorge Alonso Curiel
HoyLunes – American actress Diane Keaton, Academy Award winner for “Annie Hall” and one of the most respected and beloved figures in contemporary cinema, passed away on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at the age of 79, according to “People” magazine. Her family has not disclosed the cause of death and has requested privacy and respect during these difficult times.
Keaton leaves behind more than half a century of career, an unmistakable style, and a personality that defied Hollywood conventions.
Born in Los Angeles in 1946 as Diane Hall, she adopted her mother’s maiden name as her stage surname. After studying theater and appearing in the Broadway musical “Hair”, she made her film debut in the early 1970s. Her breakthrough role came in “The Godfather” (1972), where she portrayed Kay Adams, the wife of Michael Corleone — a role she would reprise in the two sequels directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
In 1977, she achieved definitive recognition with “Annie Hall”, directed by Woody Allen. Her performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and turned her character into a pop culture icon. Annie’s relaxed, androgynous style — wide-legged trousers, tie, buttoned-up shirt, and hat — became a timeless trend forever linked to her image.
“Annie Hall was my alter ego”, she once told The New York Times. “She was awkward, talked too much, dressed funny… and that’s why people loved her. She was me, basically”.
Throughout her career, Keaton balanced comedy and drama with rare versatility. She received four Academy Award nominations — for “Annie Hall” (1977), “Reds” (1981), “Marvin’s Room” (1996), and “Something’s Gotta Give” (2003). She also starred in popular films such as “Father of the Bride”, “The First Wives Club”, and “Book Club”. Her final screen appearance was in “Summer Camp” (2024).
Beyond success, Keaton often described herself as insecure and perfectionist. “I never felt like a Hollywood beauty. I wasn’t Meryl Streep or Faye Dunaway. I was just me, trying to look like myself”, she told “Vanity Fair” with her trademark humor.
Regarding her decision not to marry, she was candid: “I don’t think marriage is for me. I love stories, I love love, but I don’t love the idea of being a wife”.
Even so, her life was marked by deep relationships with Woody Allen, Al Pacino, and Warren Beatty, and by late motherhood: she adopted her two children, Dexter and Duke, at the age of 50. “Being a mother was the most terrifying and most real thing that ever happened to me. Nothing in Hollywood compares to that”.
Her authenticity also made her a style icon. “I don’t follow fashion; I follow my instincts. If something makes me feel comfortable, I wear it”. That instinct turned her eccentricity into her signature — hats, suits, vests, and a unique blend of elegance and humor that inspired generations.
Diane Keaton was also a photographer, director, and writer. She published memoirs and books on architecture and design, always with a curious and playful eye. “Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be incredible. And that, I think, I learned late”, she once said.
With her death, cinema loses an entire personality — but her legacy will remain in every one of her films, each filled with her luminous presence.
“I’ve been lucky”, she once said. “Not because everything was easy, but because everything was mine”.
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