On Oct. 11, famed actress Diane Keaton passed away at 79 after a battle with severe pneumonia. She was known for her iconic roles such as Annie Hall in Annie Hall, Kay Adams in The Godfather, Nina Banks in The Father of the Bride and numerous other roles in acclaimed films and shows. Multiple generations knew her as a style icon, feminist, and a defier of societal norms. Above all, the thing that made her so well loved and admired, was her ability to be defiant in a time of adversity for women.
“She was a revolutionary and did things a lot differently than women usually did at the time,” said senior Amanda Mellow.
Keaton never married, despite having high profile relationships with celebrities like Al Pacino and Woody Allen; however, she adopted her two kids Dexter and Duke when she was 50 and raised them on her own. For a woman of the 60s, this was not a common path for her to take. Diane Keaton showed society that women of her generation could be successful while also highly independent.
Her role in Annie Hall went against Hollywood prototypes and normalized a new way of dressing for women, making masculine clothes like pantsuits and trousers more fashionable. She inspired women to be quirky, live outside the box, and made them feel less judged for doing so.
“Annie Hall is such a classic movie. Diane Keaton’s role made it feel real. She was just herself which I really admire,” said sophomore Rowan Danow.
Keaton’s title character, which was written by Woody Allen, was based on Keaton’s bohemian, different, and unconventional personality. She was one of the first progressive female Hollywood characters and the epitome of the “modern woman” example. The growing feminist movement in the ‘70s idolized her, and her portrayal fueled the movement. She refused to play polished, traditional female roles, and redefined the “leading woman.” Her characters were complex, layered and independent, and her talent was able to bring life to them.
In her career spanning more than six decades, she won multiple awards. Annie Hall earned the Academy Award for Best Leading Actress in 1977, along with a BAFTA award and a Golden Globe, all in the same year. She also received a Golden Globe and a Satellite Award for Best Actress for her role as high strung playwright Erica Barry in Something’s Gotta Give, which also starred Jack Nicholson.
“Diane Keaton in The Godfather shows how scary it can be to get pulled into someone else’s world. She feels real, like someone trying to stay normal while everything around her gets intense,” said senior Connor Roditi.
Although she didn’t win any awards for it, her breakout role as Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather is one of her most well known, and was considered “deep, funny, and very interesting” by director Francis Ford Coppola. It cemented her place in Hollywood as a leading lady and established what would be a long standing successful career. Her character was considered one of the first non-traditional characters, one that was not a “filler wife” just there to make the male lead character more important. Her role was equally as impactful and important to the story, which showed women that whatever their real lives looked like, being a mother and wife, a business woman, a hairdresser, or lawyer, their lives could be just as impactful as well.
Keaton lived a monumental life, one worthy of many honors and accolades, and will be remembered as a trailblazer in her field, but most importantly a role model for so many people. She was determined, independent, and not afraid to defy. “I’ve followed the paths I’ve wanted to follow,” said Keaton in a CBS interview. Diane Keaton will be greatly missed.