By Chris ThompsonTheater Professor, Australian Catholic University.
In the chilling final scene of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece, The godfatherthe door to Michael Corleone’s office closes in the face of his wife, Kay. At the same time, that meant opening many more doors for actress Diane Keaton’s career.
In that film, so dominated by male actors, Keaton makes his mark. For someone who would become famous for her comedic and crazy style, the Californian actress showed us that she also had great dramatic acting skills.
The award-winning actress, producer and director has died at the age of 79. He leaves behind a legacy of memorable roles in films including classics like The godfather and Annie Hallcovering genres ranging from comedy to drama.
First steps on stage
Keaton was born in Los Angeles as Diane Hall on January 5, 1946. She was the eldest daughter of Dorothy and Jack Hall, and the only one of her siblings – Randy, Robin and Dorrie – who showed an interest in theater. This came about in an unconventional way.
When he was “eight or nine years old,” he said in 2004her mother won the “Mrs Los Angeles” pageant.
I remember sitting in the audience watching her being crowned. She was the perfect housewife. […] I didn’t want to be a happy housewife, that didn’t appeal to me. But I did want to go on stage. I saw that that was something that attracted me. There she was, in the theater, and I saw the curtain open and there was my mother. And I thought, “I think that’s what I like.”
Her career began as a teenage Blanche in a production of A streetcar named desire.
In his 2011 memoirs, he remembers when his father went to the backstage:
I realized he was surprised by his clumsy daughter, the one who had failed algebra and wrecked the new Ford truck. For one exciting moment, I was his Seabiscuit (a famous racehorse), Audrey Hepburn and (the superheroine) Wonder Womanall in one.
She began studying drama, but soon dropped out, adopted her mother’s maiden name, Keaton, and moved to New York to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
In 1968, after a season in the summer theater, she was chosen as a substitute in Hair on Broadway. She was 19 years old and refused to do the nude scene, which made her famous: “It wasn’t for any philosophical reason, it just scared me too much.”
His jump to the big screen
He had his heart set on the big screen, which, of course, meant starting on television, in series like The F.B.I. (“The worst thing I have ever done, I was unanimously and flat out bad!”), and Night Gallery.
Instead, it was theater that led her to her first screen roles.
In 2023, Francis Ford Coppola revealed to Hollywood Reporter who had seen Keaton in Hair.
Later he told her that he had chosen her for The godfather because,
Although you were going to play the more upright and conventional wife, there was something more to you, something deeper, funnier and very interesting. (I was right).
He then auditioned for a new stage comedy, Play it Again, Sam (Dreams of a seducerin the Spanish adaptation), by the promising comedian Woody Allen. The audition turned out to be what is known in romantic comedies as a chance encounter which not only led to their highly publicized relationship, but also a major collaboration on eight films, including the 1977 hit Annie Hall.
For that role, Keaton won the Oscar for best actress. And her wardrobe, designed by Ruth Morley, made her a fashion icon of the 70s. She also gave us the whimsical phrase “la di dah.”
It is often thought that Annie Hall was about her relationship with Allen, but, as she herself stated to the New York Times: “It’s not true, but there are elements of truth in it.”
Showing power in Hollywood
Over the next five decades, Keaton would become a force in Hollywood.
He had comedic roles in films such as The First Wives Club (1996), Something’s wrong with Mary (2003) and the franchise The bride’s father. Along with these comedies, he stood out for his dramatic roles in Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Reds (1981), The little drummer (1984), Crimes of the heart (1986), Marvin’s room (1996) and two more films by The godfather.
She was also a notable director of films such as Heroes in force (1995), Heaven (1987) and even an episode of Twin Peaks.
In addition to the Oscar, the BAFTA and the Golden Globe for Annie Hallreceived Oscar nominations for Reds, Marvin’s Room and Something’s Gotta Give (known as When you least expect itin Spain, and Someone has to give inin Latin America), for which she won her second Golden Globe. She was also nominated for a Tony, two Emmys and seven other Golden Globes.
Despite her highly publicized relationships with Al Pacino, Woody Allen and Warren Beatty, Keaton decided to remain single her entire life. At age 50, she adopted two children, Dexter and Duke.
A rich creative life
Keaton made comedy look easy, but in 1977 he commented that “both comedy and drama are equally difficult.” He later declared to Fresh Air:
When you play a dramatic role, you are constantly fighting with yourself, at least I am. Because for me it’s not that easy. I think I’m more inclined to live comfortably in the world of humor.
In any case, his creative life has enriched us and his loss impoverishes us.
This article was published in The Conversation. Read the original.
Chris Thompson He is a Theater Professor at Australian Catholic University.
