A Look Back at Diane Keaton's Life and Career in Photos

The Oscar-winning actress turns 77 on Jan. 5.

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Diane Keaton's Early Days

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Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall) was born January 5, 1946 in Los Angeles, California.

"I always had one problem with my mom: She would cut my bangs way too short. I hated that. I look like an idiot. I like those glasses though. I could use them now," she told PEOPLE in 2017 about this photo, during a retrospective of her career.

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Diane Keaton Growing Up

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"In high school I was consumed by hairspray," she told PEOPLE in 2017. "I refused to be in the wind. I look like an idiot."

After graduating high school, Keaton studied acting at Santa Ana College before transferring to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, per the school's website.

03 of 16

Diane Keaton Takes the Stage

In a scene from Michael Butler's production of the hit American rock musical 'Hair' at the Biltmore Theatre, Emmaretta Marks, Melba Moore and Lorri Davis sing the praises of white boys, while below Suzannah Norstrand, Diane Keaton and Natalie Mosco hymn their enthusiasm for black boys. (Photo by Keystone Features/Getty Images)
Keystone Features/Getty

Before her film career took off, Keaton made her acting debut in the original Broadway cast of Hair in 1968. Here, Keaton performs between Suzannah Norstrand and Natalie Mosco with Emmaretta Marks, Melba Moore and Lorri Davis singing above them.

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Diane Keaton Shines on Screen

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Keaton's first screen credit would come with 1970's Lovers and Other Strangers — though her breakout role was in 1972's The Godfather where she played Kay Adams-Corleone, the wife of Al Pacino's character (she later reprised the role in the 1974 and 1990 sequels).

Keaton counts Pacino among her "many loves;" the two found romance off-screen though never wed. As she recalled to PEOPLE, when he wouldn't commit to marriage, she gave him an ultimatum, and it was over: "I worked hard on that one. I went about it in not a perfect way."

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Diane Keaton in 'Annie Hall'

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Keaton's performance 1977's Annie Hall would win her an Oscar for best actress. It was the fourth of the eight Woody Allen films she has been featured in.

"Of course my favorite is the obvious one," she told PEOPLE of Annie Hall. "Woody didn't know if it would work. He didn't trust it — he'd say 'It's just another sitcom.' "

06 of 16

Diane Keaton Wins an Oscar

Diane Keaton wins an Oscar for Annie Hall
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"I keep it in my closet. I don't want to put it on display, it's silly! Enough already, Diane, we know," Keaton told PEOPLE of her prestigious award, which she took home in 1978.

07 of 16

Diane Keaton in 'Manhattan'

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Keaton starred alongside Allen in his 1979 film Manhattan. In addition to being frequent collaborators, the two also had a romantic relationship for a time and have remained close friends ever since.

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Diane Keaton's Relationship with Warren Beatty

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Keaton's five-year relationship with Warren Beatty (in 1978) made costarring with him in 1981's Reds, which he directed, interesting. "There's a scene where we're fighting," she told PEOPLE, "that felt really real."

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Diane Keaton in 'Shoot the Moon'

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"That picture is disgusting!" Keaton told PEOPLE of this still from 1982's Shoot the Moon, about a divorcing couple. "Those skinny legs and arms flopping around! I'd forgotten about that movie. But [costar] Albert Finney is great."

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Diane Keaton in 'Baby Boom'

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In 1987's Baby Boom, Keaton played a businesswoman who unexpectedly becomes the caretaker to a baby girl.

"If I was the mother, I wouldn't have been happy about the way I tossed those babies around!" Keaton said of the film. "But they were adorable."

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Diane Keaton and Nancy Meyers

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Keaton was not only a muse for Woody Allen; she also has starred in a number of Nancy Meyers movies, including Father of the Bride and 2003's Something's Gotta Give alongside Jack Nicholson (pictured).

"It was awkward," Keaton said of shooting the sex scene in the film. "But he was hilarious. We spent a lot of time in bed chatting away."

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Diane Keaton as a Mom

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Keaton welcomed son Duke Keaton and daughter Dexter Keaton via adoption when she was in her 50s — and at her 2022 Hand & Footprint Ceremony, she told PEOPLE her children's support means "everything...I love them."

The star never married, despite dating stars including Woody Allen, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty and Al Pacino in the past (though she has said she hasn't had a date in the last 35 years). But she has no regrets.

"I'm 73 and I think I'm the only one in my generation and maybe before who has been a single woman all her life," she told PEOPLE. "I don't think it would have been a good idea for me to have married, and I'm really glad I didn't."

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Diane Keaton in 'The Young Pope'

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Keaton has also appeared on the small screen, including in the 2016 mini series, The Young Pope alongside Jude Law.

"The director would say to me, 'Don't smile so much, and stop waving your arms around,' " Keaton said of her role in the series. "I don't think that's what nuns are known for."

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Diane Keaton at the American Film Institute Gala

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In 2017, Keaton was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Film Institute's gala.

"I'm honored," Keaton told PEOPLE before the awards ceremony, "but it's all too much for me. I'm just sitting there, with all those people in that room ... it's like a retirement party."

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Diane Keaton Leaves Her Mark

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 11: Diane Keaton is honored with a Hand and Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre on August 11, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
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In August 2022, Keaton was honored with a Hand and Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

She was supported by friends and family at the ceremony including her two children and younger sister Dorrie Hall.

"It was just one of those things in your life where you just don't expect it and then suddenly it comes your way. And then it's like, wow," Keaton told PEOPLE of the ceremony. "I was thrilled, of course. And I still am. And to be here today is also great because I'm not frequently inside this theater and I love this theater."

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Diane Keaton's Next Projects

SAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 13: Diane Keaton attends the Ralph Lauren SS23 Runway Show at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens on October 13, 2022 in San Marino, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Diane Keaton. Amy Sussman/Getty

In 2023, Keaton has multiple projects in the works including the film Maybe I Do which is slated to be released at the end of January. Here, the actress is pictured at the Ralph Lauren SS23 Runway Show in October 2022 in San Marino, California — a nod to her enduring legacy as a style trendsetter with a one-of-a-kind fashion sense.

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