From Ingenue to Icon: Diane Keaton’s 10 Essential Films and How Old She Was in Each

Diane Keaton died on October 11, 2025. She was 79. The cause wasn’t shared. The Los Angeles Fire Department told People they got a call from Keaton’s home at 8:08 am local time and transported a 79-year-old woman to a nearby hospital. However you first met her — awkward and magnetic in a turtleneck, or quietly devastating in a drama — she had that rare thing: presence. So, instead of dwelling on the mystery around her passing, let’s look back at the work. Here are 10 essential Diane Keaton films, why they matter, where to watch them, and how old she was when she made them.

1. Annie Hall (1977) – 97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Keaton’s Oscar came from this one, and it’s still the defining performance for a lot of people. She plays Annie opposite Woody Allen, turning a messy modern romance into something that felt painfully specific and oddly universal. The film walks through how love starts, evolves, and sometimes comes apart, and she makes every beat feel lived-in. Bonus: her menswear-forward look didn’t just suit the character — it basically kicked off a 70s fashion wave. She was 30 during production and 31 when it opened in April 1977. Currently streaming on Prime Video.

2. The Godfather (1972) – 97% on Rotten Tomatoes

Yes, she’s not the center of the story — that’s the Corleones — but as Kay Adams, Keaton gives the series its moral baseline. Through Kay, you feel the human cost of Michael’s choices as he drifts deeper into the family business. It’s a deceptively tough assignment: be the audience’s conscience in a world that glamorizes power. She nails it. Keaton was 25 while filming and 26 when it hit theaters in May 1972. Currently streaming on Paramount+.

3. Manhattan (1979) – 93% on Rotten Tomatoes

Shot in crisp black-and-white and draped in Gershwin, this is Allen-and-Keaton chemistry at full wattage. As Mary Wilkie, she’s sharp, guarded, and funny — a grown-up in a story about people trying (and often failing) to act like grown-ups. It’s romantic, it’s neurotic, it’s undeniably stylish, and Keaton brings an honesty that cuts through the film’s self-regard. She was 33 during filming and 33 at release. Currently streaming on Prime Video.

4. Reds (1981) – 90% on Rotten Tomatoes

Big-canvas filmmaking: Warren Beatty’s three-hour-plus historical epic about journalist John Reed and the pull of the Russian Revolution is the opposite of a breezy watch — in a good way. Keaton plays Louise Bryant, a writer and activist whose ideals and relationships get stress-tested by history. She matches Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Paul Sorvino, and Gene Hackman without blinking, layering conviction with vulnerability. She was 35 both during production and at release. Currently streaming on Prime Video.

5. Father of the Bride (1991) – 70% on Rotten Tomatoes

Keaton’s Nina Banks is the antidote to Steve Martin’s spiraling dad — all calm, warmth, and quiet competence while wedding panic scorches the earth. The movie endures because it gets the parental gut-punch right: letting go without falling apart. Keaton was 44 while filming and 44 at release — four days shy of 45. Currently streaming on Hulu and Prime Video.

6. Crimes of the Heart (1986) – 82% on Rotten Tomatoes

Three sisters in the South reunite under lousy circumstances and proceed to fight, joke, and try to stitch themselves back together. As Lenny Magrath, the anxious eldest who feels left behind, Keaton finds a quiet, bruised resilience. Paired with Sissy Spacek and Jessica Lange, the trio plays like a real family: petty, tender, and fiercely loyal when it counts. She was 40 at filming and 40 at release. Currently streaming on Netflix and Prime Video.

7. The First Wives Club (1996) – 49% on Rotten Tomatoes

Critics can quibble with the score; audiences made it a touchstone. Keaton’s Annie MacDuggan-Paradis is the nice one — a little jittery, a lot underestimated — whose husband leaves her for their therapist. Teaming up with Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn, she channels heartbreak into payback and friendship. Their finale, singing "You Don’t Own Me," turned into an anthem for anyone tired of being sidelined. Keaton was 50 during filming and 50 at release. Currently streaming on Prime Video and Apple TV.

8. Something's Gotta Give (2003) – 72% on Rotten Tomatoes

A late-career rom-com that actually lets adults be adults. Keaton’s Erica Barry, a successful playwright, unexpectedly falls for her daughter’s older boyfriend, played by Jack Nicholson. It’s funny, it’s messy, and it treats attraction after 50 like a fact of life, not a punchline. Keanu Reeves shows up as a smitten doctor named Julian, which does not hurt. Keaton won a Golden Globe and picked up an Oscar nomination. She was 57 during filming and 57 at release. Currently streaming on Prime Video.

9. Marvin's Room (1996) – 83% on Rotten Tomatoes

Bring tissues. As Bessie, who has spent years caring for her ailing father before getting hit with a leukemia diagnosis, Keaton centers a family reckoning that’s tender without being treacly. Meryl Streep plays her estranged sister, and Leonardo DiCaprio is the combustible teenage son. Keaton’s restraint is the point — the performance sneaks up on you — and it earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. She was 49 while filming and 50 at release. Currently streaming on Prime Video.

10. Shoot the Moon (1982) – 86% on Rotten Tomatoes

A breakup movie without the sugar. Keaton’s Faith Dunlap is trying to hold a family together after her husband, played by Albert Finney, cheats. The fights feel uncomfortably real; the silences, even more so. There’s a small scene where she quietly sings a Beatles song in the tub, and it lands harder than most shouting matches. Peter Weller plays the gentle contractor who offers a little light. She was 35 during production and 36 at release. Currently streaming on Prime Video.

Keaton left a filmography that can charm you on a Sunday afternoon or floor you on a Wednesday night. However you revisit her, it’s the same takeaway: she didn’t just play characters — she inhabited lives.