When you think of Diane Keaton, one of three things typically come to mind: her eccentric personality, her love of suits, and her long-time friendship with Woody Allen.
But the actress is so much more than that. She adopted her first child at 50 years old, for one, and she has completely embraced being single, for two.
1. Her real name is actually Diane Hall.
She changed her surname to her mother’s maiden name — Keaton — when she moved to New York City to pursue acting.
If you’re wondering if “Hall” has connections to one of her most famous movies, Annie Hall , it does .
2. She hasn’t had a date in 35 years.
Say whaaat??
Sadly, the actress told InStyle that this stems from her not getting asked out by anyone. “I have a lot of male friends,” she said. “I have a lot of friends, but no dates. No mwah-mwah.”
3. She didn’t initially like *The Godfather Part III*.
As you probably already knew, she played Kay Adams Corleone, wife of Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino), in the iconic mafia films.
Unfortunately, the third film wasn’t well-reviewed by critics — or by Diane.
She told *Variety* that she dismissed it. It wasn’t until Francis Ford Coppola released the new director’s cut that she changed her mind.
“It was one of the best moments of my life to watch it. To me it was a dream come true. I saw the movie in a completely different light,” she said .
She then got mad at herself for ever dismissing it in the first place.
“I don’t know why people didn’t appreciate it, but I was one of them. What was wrong with me? Why didn’t I like this before? But I didn’t. I kind of just dismissed it and thought, ‘oh well.’”
4. She’s never been married.
This is despite the fact that she’s been famously romantically linked to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. This includes Woody Allen, Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty, and Al Pacino.
In 2010, Diane explained to Katie Couric why she had never married.
“I think the reason I didn’t get married was because I would have to compromise too much,” she said after thinking for a long time.
“I wanted to try more adventurous things for myself.” She also said point-blankly that she’s terrified of men.
Me too, sister.
5. She’s totally embraced her white hair.
The actress has been okay with letting her blonde hair grow out.
“My hair is now white. It’s better to have light around your face—I think it looks better on older people,” she told People .
6. She had a complicated relationship with her father.
“Dad was always harping,” Diane wrote in her second memoir, Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty .
This included how she dressed, her indecisiveness, and how she ate.
The only time he was ever proud of her was through her acting.
He praised her when she sang “Mata Hari” in the Santa Ana high school production of the musical Little Mary Sunshine .
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Her father’s praise soon cemented her desire to become an actress.
7. She has two adopted children.
She adopted her first child, Dexter, a daughter, at the age of 50. Then, she adopted a son, Duke, a few years later.
Adoption has been good for the star, as she’s called it “the most completely humbling experience that I’ve ever had.”
8. She uses fashion to protect herself.
The actress has always been praised for her gender-bending fashion , but she told InStyle that she doesn’t do it to empower herself.
Instead, it’s to hide. “It hides a multitude of sins,” she said.
“Flaws, anxiety — things like that,” she continued.
“I would not feel comfortable in a short skirt or something cut off with my arms hanging out there.
She also said that she loves hats since she’s had multiple skin cancer scares and wants to protect herself from the sun.
9. She didn’t enjoy her time doing theater or Broadway.
She has a few shows on her resume: Hair and Play It Again, Sam . But she didn’t enjoy doing the shows live night after night.
“What I like about the movies is that you get on there and you get to do one thing over and over.”
10. She was bulimic for five years in her 20s.
This all started in 1968 when the director of Hair said that she would get the lead role if she lost weight.
Soon, she became a master of hiding her illness.
This included hiding it from Woody Allen, her boyfriend at the time.
“I had a problem — it was sick and creepy. Bulimia takes a lot of time out of your day.”
Thankfully, it was psychoanalysis that helped her recover.
11. She’s most proud of her work in *Annie Hall*.
She even believes she owes her career to it.
“That was the beginning,” she told InStyle . “I did several movies with him [Woody Allen], and then a lot of other movies, like Looking for Mr. Goodbar, which my dad hated.”
12. She has no problem getting nude for film.
She’s done it several times already , including in Something’s Gotta Give and Looking for Mr. Goodbar .
While she feels empowered by it, it was a point of disdain for her father.
13. She has continued to defend Woody Allen after his sexual assault allegations.
The Annie Hall writer/director has been accused of sexual assault against his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow.
Since then, Keaton has maintained her support . “Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” she wrote on Twitter in 2018.
14. Diane has authored several books over the years.
Diane’s latest book is called Brother & Sister . This is Diane’s third memoir, detailing the complicated and strained relationship with her brother, Randy.
It’s an honest and open account of a family’s struggles as it attempts to come to grips with Randy’s alcoholism and mental illness.
15. She has a profound love of photography.
Diane’s first love has always been photography. As well as her selection of memoirs, Diane has also compiled several books on photography.
Her book, Mr. Salesman , published in 1993, is one of the best examples of Diane’s talent.
16. Diane launched her own brand of wine.
Aptly called The Keaton, Diane’s wine is meant to be served over ice .
Supposedly, it’s a habit that Diane herself picked up in the early 1970s when she was living in New York.
17. She designed her very own dream home.
It took more than three years for the construction to finish on Diane’s home. Her impressive and expansive LA abode is more than 8,000 square feet.
It’s also earthquake-resistant, as well as fire-proof.
Diane’s inspiration for the design was rooted in a familiar childhood fairytale.
According to Diane, she grew up loving the story of ” The 3 Little Pigs .”
From the time she was a little girl, Diane always knew that one day she would grow up to live in a large brick house!
18. Before settling on her dream house, Diane used to restore houses.
Diane spent nearly 15 years of her life purchasing dilapidated real estate and flipping it for profit.
“I always had an interest in homes and the concept of home, but the problem is I never really land and stay,” she said during an interview with Wine Spectator.
19. She’s absolutely obsessed with Pinterest.
Who isn’t obsessed with Pinterest, am I right?
Diane credits Pinterest with the success of her home designs . She’s said that the ability to make and create a shared idea board made for easy communication among her team of designers.
20. Diane directed Reese Witherspoon in the second film of Reese’s career.
At the time, Reese was only 14 years old . But even at such a young age, it was plain to see that Reese was destined for great things, according to Diane.
When Diane received her AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, Reese was one of the speakers.
21. She’s a closet Billie Eilish fan.
While visiting with Ellen DeGeneres, Diane was roped into playing a game of “Ellen’s Burning Questions.”
The talk show host asked the iconic actress if there was a new young star whose style she loved. Diane emphatically replied ” Billie Eilish .”
As well as a Belieber.
If you’re a celebrity who’s longing to meet Justin Bieber , The Ellen Show is a good place to start.
In the middle of Ellen’s interview with Diane, Justin all of a sudden jumped out and scared the legendary actress.
22. She doesn’t understand the rules of beer pong — at all.
This is one of those videos that you just have to watch in order to believe.
It begins with Jimmy trying to explain the rules of the game but quickly devolves into all-out anarchy and total chaos.
23. Diane understands the importance of helping those less fortunate than herself.
Diane Keaton is many things but one thing she absolutely is not is a diva. During her time in quarantine, Diane began doing a huge overhaul of her personal belongings.
She wound up donating over eight garbage bags full of her own clothes to Good Will — in person.
24. She has an incredibly beautiful singing voice.
Over the course of her career, Diana has sung in a number of different films.
For a true showcasing of her range and vocal talents, be sure to catch her mesmerizing performance in And So It Goes .
25. Diane has recently partnered with Audible.
If you haven’t yet discovered the wonderful world of books on tape, you need to go and have a look at Audible’s online library.
Sign up now, and you can listen to Diane reading Slouching Towards Bethlehem for free!
26. She’s a sports mom, through and through.
Diane has two adopted children: a daughter, Dexter, and a son named Duke .
She would get up every single day at 5 AM to take Dexter to swimming lessons, while still somehow ensuring that Duke got to his tennis instruction on time.
For all these reasons and more, Diane Keaton is an undisputed living legend.
Diane is one of the most talented, eccentric, driven, and independent women to have ever walked the Hollywood red carpet. She’s a proverbial treasure and we’re lucky to have her.
What’s your favorite Diane Keaton movie? Leave a comment and let us know!
