Diane Keaton (born Diane Hall on January 5, 1946) is an Oscar-winning American film actress, director and producer. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970. Her first major film role was as Kay Adams in The Godfather (1972), but the films that shaped her early career were those with director and co-star Woody Allen, beginning with Play It Again, Sam (1972). Her next two films for Allen were Sleeper (1973) and Love and Death (1975) and they established her as a comic actress. Her fourth film for Allen, the semi-autobiographical Annie Hall (1977) won her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Keaton subsequently expanded her range, as can be seen in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977) and her Academy Award nominations for Reds (1981) and Marvin's Room (1996). Some of her popular later films include Father of the Bride (1991), The First Wives Club (1996), and Something's Gotta Give (2003). Films Keaton has been in have earned a cumulative gross of over USD$1.1 billion in North America. In addition to acting, she is also a photographer, real estate developer, and occasional singer.

Early life and education

Born Diane Hall in Los Angeles, California, she is the oldest of four children. Diane has a brother named Randy Hall (b.March 21, 1948) and two sisters named Robin Hall (b.March 27, 1951) and Dorrie Hall (b.April 1, 1953). Her mother, Dorothy (née Keaton; b. 1921), was a homemaker and amateur photographer, and her father, Jack Hall (1921–1990), was a real estate broker and civil engineer."Diane Keaton: The Next Hepburn" Rolling Stone. June 30, 1977. Her father came from an Irish American Catholic background, and her mother came from a Methodist family. Keaton was raised a Methodist by her mother. Her first ambition to become an actor came after seeing her mother win the "Mrs. Los Angeles" pageant for homemakers. Keaton claimed that the theatricality of the event inspired her to become a stage actor.Diane Keaton interview. Fresh Air, WHYY Philadelphia. January 1, 1997. Retrieved February 27, 2006. She has also credited Katharine Hepburn, whom she admires for playing strong and independent women, as one of her inspirations.Nancy Griffin. "American Original" More Magazine. March 2004.

Keaton is a 1964 graduate of Santa Ana High School in Santa Ana, California. During her time there she participated in singing and acting clubs at school, and starred as Blanche DuBois in a school production of A Streetcar Named Desire. After graduation she attended Santa Ana College, and later Orange Coast College as an acting student, but dropped out after a year to pursue an entertainment career in Manhattan.Diane Keaton: A Nervous Wreck on the Verge of a Breakthrough. Movie Crazed. 1974. Retrieved February 22, 2006. Upon joining the Actors' Equity Association she adopted the surname of Keaton, her mother's maiden name, as there was already a registered Diane Hall.Dominic Dunne. "Hide and Seek with Diane Keaton". Vanity Fair. February 1985. For a brief time, she also moonlighted nightclubs with a singing act.Terry Keefe. . Venice Magazine. January 2004. Retrieved from the Wayback Machine, November 4, 2004. She would later revisit her nightclub act in Annie Hall (1977), and in a cameo in Radio Days (1987).