Diane Keaton

I’m willing to bet that most of us who are in our mid-forties and beyond would associate Diane Keaton with the films she did way back when with Woody Allen. While it’s true that she won an Oscar for her performance in Annie Hall and her work with Allen often bordered on New York centric themes, there’s a whole lot more to this talented actress than meets the eye.

Actually, Ms. Keaton, nee Diane Hall, was a native of California. In the mid 1960’s she drifted east and found herself studying acting at something called the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. She got her first big break when she landed a part in the original Broadway production of Hair, she was the one who kept her clothes on during the finale. After that, she teamed up with Allen for the first time in the stage production of “Play It Again, Sam.” This marked the beginning of what was to become a beautiful friendship.

Throughout the 1970’s Keaton appeared in a variety of films. For a while, she seemed to only lend her talents to either Allen or famed director Francis Ford Coppola. One of her first screen appearances was that of Kay Adams Corleone in his epic The Godfather. It was a role she would later reprise in both of the sequels. She finally hit the big time when she was cast as Woody Allen’s spacey but lovable love interest in the classic Annie Hall. Besides landing her her first Oscar for Best Actress, the movie also established a brief fashion trend. Women wearing baggy shirts and men’s ties were soon seen gallivanting through the street of New York City.

Perhaps looking to disassociate herself with Allen, Keaton took on the challenging role of a teacher who examined the seamier side of New York City nightlife in the film Looking for Mr. Goodbar. If you haven’t seen it, let's just say that this one didn’t have a happy ending.

During the coming years it might have seemed that Diane Keaton had faded into the background. This was not the case. She teamed up with Warren Beatty in “Reds” and earned her second Best Actress nomination. Her next film of note was “Crimes of the Heart” where she was paired up with Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek in a tale of three oddball southern sisters.

After a relative dry spell, Keaton made a “comeback” of sorts when she played opposite Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler in the surprise hit “First Wives Club”.She followed that up with another Oscar nominated role in a film called “Marvin’s Room” where she played opposite Meryl Streep.

Her next film of note landed her her fourth Oscar nomination when she starred with Jack Nicholson in the film “Something’s Gotta Give”. A rather amusing story about relationships and the aging process. It also marked the first (and last up to now) time that Ms. Keaton did a nude scene which is rather remarkable considering her age at the time the film was shot.

Over the years, Diane Keaton has been one of those rare Hollywood types who would prefer to let her talent do the talking. She avoids publicity and scandal and has a relaxing, if not quirky, screen persona that has charmed many an audience over the years. Hopefully, she’ll continue for a long time to come.

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