Career
For a few days she performed at nightclubs as a singer. In 1968, she landed a role in the Broadway rock musical ‘Hair.’ Though her role required her to perform nude at the end of ‘Act I,’ she refused to strip.
In 1969, she performed in Woody Allen’s hit Broadway stage show ‘Play It Again, Sam.’ She received a ‘Tony Award’ nomination for her performance in the play. The next year, she made her film debut, playing ‘Joan Vecchio’ in the comedy film ‘Lovers and Other Strangers.’ She also performed as a guest artist in TV series, namely ‘Love, American Style’ and ‘Night Gallery.’
In 1971, she essayed the role of ‘Renata Wallinger’ in the short film ‘Men of Crisis: The Harvey Wallinger Story.’ She then appeared in two television series, namely ‘The F.B.I’ and ‘Mannix.’
She received her first major role in 1972 when she appeared alongside Al Pacino in Francis Ford Coppola’s award-winning film ‘The Godfather.’ The film received critical acclaim. It was also a huge box office success, becoming the highest grossing film of 1972. It proved to be the breakthrough film that Keaton was looking for to take her career forward.
She then started playing comical roles, starting with Woody Allen’s 1972 film ‘Play It Again, Sam’ where she played ‘Linda.’ She then played ‘Luna Schlosser’ in the 1973 film ‘Sleeper.’ Both the films became successful and strengthened her status as a star performer.
In 1974, she reprised her role as ‘Kay Adams’ in ‘The Godfather’ sequel, ‘The Godfather Part II.’
Her collaboration with Woody Allen continued with several other successful films, such as ‘Love and Death’ (1975), ‘Annie Hall’ (1977), ‘Interiors’ (1978), and ‘Manhattan’ (1979).
The 1977-released film ‘Annie Hall,’ which was considered an on-screen sketch of Diane Keaton and Woody Allen’s real-life romance, went on to become a cult classic in the comedy genre. While the film won the ‘Best Picture’ award at the ‘Academy Awards,’ Keaton received the award for ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role.’ She also received several other awards, including ‘BAFTA’ and ‘Golden Globe Award.’
After a gap of few years, she returned to television in 1977, playing the character of ‘Kay Adams Corleone’ in the miniseries ‘The Godfather Saga.’
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Her next major film happened to be the 1981-released ‘Reds,’ where she played ‘Louise Bryant,’ starring opposite her then-boyfriend Warren Beatty. She received rave reviews for her role. She was also nominated for several awards, including ‘Academy Award,’ ‘Golden Globe,’ and ‘People’s Choice Award.’
In 1984, she did two films, ‘The Little Drummer Girl’ and ‘Mrs. Soffel.’ While the former could not achieve success, the latter won her critical acclaim.
Some of her other films of the 1980s include ‘Crimes of the Heart’ (1986), ‘Radio Days’ (1987), and ‘The Good Mother’ (1988). She starred in the 1987 hit comedy film ‘Baby Boom,’ which was written and produced by Nancy Meyers. In the same year, she made her debut as a director and editor with the documentary feature film ‘Heaven’ which dealt with the probability of an afterlife.
Her stint as a director continued as she directed music videos, television films, and few episodes of a couple of television series.
She started the 1990s by reprising her role as ‘Kay Adams’ in the 1990 film ‘The Godfather Part III.’ In 1991, she tasted success with the comedy film ‘Father of the Bride,’ starring opposite Steve Martin. She reprised her role as ‘Nina Banks’ in the 1995 sequel ‘Father of the Bride Part II.’
In 1993, she played ‘Carol Lipton’ in Woody Allen’s film ‘Manhattan Murder Mystery.’ Her portrayal of ‘Carol Lipton’ earned her a ‘Golden Globe’ nomination. Earlier in 1987, she had done a cameo role in Allen’s film ‘Radio Days.’
In 1995, she directed the film ‘Unstrung Heroes.’ Though the film was not a commercial success, it received positive reviews from critics.
The comedy film ‘The First Wives Club,’ which released in 1996, happened to be her biggest hit at the box office during the 90s. She received the ‘National Board of Review’ award for the film.
She essayed the challenging role of ‘Bessie,’ a woman suffering from leukaemia, in the 1996 film ‘Marvin’s Room.’ In the film, she appeared alongside actors like Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio. The film received positive reviews from critics and earned her nominations at ‘Academy Award’ and ‘Screen Actors Guild Award.’
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Some of her other films of the 90s include ‘Look Who’s Talking Now’ (1993), ‘The Only Thrill’ (1997), and ‘The Other Sister’ (1999). Her television movies include ‘The Running Mates’ (1992) and ‘Northern Lights’ (1997). Her performance as ‘Amelia Earhart’ in the TV film ‘Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight’ (1994) earned her nominations at ‘Golden Globe,’ ‘Primetime Emmy,’ and ‘Screen Actors Guild Award.’
In 1999, she narrated ‘If I Get Out Alive,’ an hour-long documentary produced by ‘Lichtenstein Creative Media.’ The program, which showcased the challenges faced by young inmates of adult correctional system, was aired on various public radio stations all over the country.
She directed and acted in the 2000-released film ‘Hanging Up.’ She went on to win the ‘Modern Master Award’ at the 2001 ‘Santa Barbara International Film Festival.’
She hogged the limelight after starring opposite Jack Nicholson in the 2003 hit romantic comedy film ‘Something's Gotta Give’ which was directed by Nancy Meyers. She won the ‘Golden Globe’ award and the ‘Satellite Award’ among other awards for her role. She also earned several nominations, including a nomination at the ‘Academy Awards.’
Some of her films in the 2000s include ‘Town & Country’ (2001), ‘The Family Stone’ (2005), ‘Mama’s Boy’ (2007), ‘Morning Glory’ (2010), ‘And So It Goes’ (2014), and ‘Love the Coopers’ (2015).
Along with her big screen flicks, she also continued to perform in several television movies. Some of her TV films of the 2000s include ‘Sister Mary Explains It All’ (2001), ‘Crossed Over’ (2002), and ‘Surrender, Dorothy’ (2006).
She played ‘Sister Mary’ in the 2016 television series ‘The Young Pope.’ She also voiced ‘Jenny’ in the animated film ‘Finding Dory,’ a sequel to ‘Finding Nemo.’
She went on to appear in movies like ‘Hampstead’ (2017), ‘Book Club’ (2018), and ‘Poms’ (2019). In 2019, she was cast to play an important role in the romantic comedy film ‘Love, Weddings & Other Disasters.’
Apart from being an actor, she is also a writer, photographer, and real estate developer. She has written books, such as ‘Then Again’ and ‘Let's Just Say It Wasn't Pretty.’ She has also edited books, such as ‘California Romantica,’ ‘House,’ and ‘Clown Paintings.’ In 1980, she released a book on photography titled ‘Reservations.’
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