On Saturday, October 11, 2025, Diane Keaton passed away at the age of 79, leaving behind a legacy that combines comedy, drama, vulnerability, and a style so unique that it defined an era.
Keaton was the kind of actress who could make you laugh with a small gesture, but also make you cry with a single glance. She had a way of being a character and a person at the same time, of combining the imperfect, the endearing, the eccentric, the human. Her collaborations with directors such as Woody Allen, her unique voice in family cinema, her rebellious charm, her ability to move audiences without exaggerated melodrama… all of this made her an icon. In addition to her success in comedies, her dramatic side earned her critical respect.
Here is a selection of her most memorable films—the ones you definitely should see if you want to get to know her art:
1. Annie Hall (1977)
Probably the film that many people think of first when they hear the name Diane Keaton. She played Annie Hall, a character Woody Allen wrote especially for her. A different kind of romantic comedy, with witty dialogue, breakups, neuroses, men’s fashion mixed with long skirts, and her unique way of being free, vulnerable, and hilarious. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for this role and changed what many expected from a romantic comedy.
2. The Godfather (and its sequels)
As Kay Adams-Corleone, Keaton brought just what was needed: moral strength, doubts, family love, and the internal tension of being married to power and violence. Although she is not always at the center, her presence is felt; those silent moments are worth their weight in gold. She brings humanity to a brutal world.
3. Reds (1981)
Here her dramatic role expands. Karen in red, political journalism, intense love, historical moments, and Keaton not only accompanies, but shines. Her performance as Louise Bryant—alongside Warren Beatty—earns her serious consideration beyond comedy.
4. Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
As her roles changed, Diane Keaton continued to show her authenticity, grace, and maturity. In this late romantic comedy, she plays a successful writer who falls in love with a younger man, or at least a different one. It’s not just romance: it’s about second chances, acceptance, knowing who you are. Many remember it for its dialogue, its elegant humor, and its on-screen chemistry.
5. First Wives Club (1996)
This film gave Keaton (along with other top actresses) the opportunity to combine comedy, friendship, sweet revenge, and social commentary: women who decide not to stay silent. Her character, Annie MacDuggan, has that mix of insecurity, strength, and humor that Keaton masters like no one else. For many, it was the moment we saw Diane being generous with her character and powerful in her vulnerability.
6. Manhattan / Manhattan Murder Mystery
Here, her connection to Woody Allen and a very urban, melancholic, and subtly humorous style of cinema is once again evident. In Manhattan Murder Mystery, for example, there is mystery, comedy, moments of reflection, and Diane brings an emotional lightness, a spark that lights up the screen.
7. Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)
A darker, riskier role. Keaton played a woman living a dangerous double life, running away from herself. It was one of those dramatic roles that showed she could not only do light comedy, but also take on internal conflicts, difficult decisions, and artistic risks.
8. Baby Boom (1987)
This is a comedy with a social message. Keaton plays an executive who inherits a baby (literally a “boom”) and has to rethink her life, her work, what it means to be a working woman, balance, motherhood. It’s funny, endearing, relatable.
9. Marvin’s Room (1996)
Perhaps less well known to some, but very powerful. Diane Keaton plays a woman who must return to care for her sick family, reconcile past wounds, show boundaries, and deep emotions. A reminder that Diane could touch the heartstrings without the need for great artifice.
10. Unstrung Heroes (1995) / Director Keaton
Although she has many gems as an actress, Keaton also directed films, and Unstrung Heroes is one worth revisiting. It is a story about a child, family, and eccentric characters. It demonstrates her sensitivity behind the camera, her affinity for the human, the imperfect, what hurts us and makes us laugh at the same time.
More than a filmography: a style, a mark
Her visual style also became a trademark: oversized jackets, straight ties, long skirts, that masculine-feminine mix that broke (and continues to break) molds.
Her narrative voice: you didn’t need her character to be the protagonist for you to stop seeing her as “just a pretty face”: her supporting roles were often the ones that left the biggest impression because they conveyed emotions that were left unsaid.
Her ability to move between genres: comedy, drama, late romance, existential reflections, family stories, satires. She made them all her own.
Today we say goodbye
Today, now that she is no longer with us, we are left with her laughter, her roles, those scenes that continue to be quoted. We are left with her courage in choosing complex characters, in not always following the safe path. We are left with her authenticity.
And that’s why remembering her with films like Annie Hall, The Godfather, or Something’s Gotta Give isn’t just watching good movies: it’s honoring someone who taught us that being different is not only possible, but beautiful.