From 'Annie Hall' to 'Book Club', We've Rounded Up Diane Keaton’s 20 Best Roles

Dillon Dodson

Fri, August 5, 2022 at 12:00 PM UTC

4 min read

For 50 years the multitalented Diane Keaton has charmed us with her creative output—from books (including Then Again in 2011, House in 2012, Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Pretty in 2014 and Brother & Sister: A Memoir in 2020) and films to her amusing Instagram account. She’s directed movies, including the whimsical documentary Heaven (1987) and the narrative features Wildflower (1991) and Unstrung Heroes (1995), and she starred in and directed Hanging Up (2000), drawn from a book by Delia Ephron. But Keaton is best known for a range of classic roles she’s performed as an actress, including these 20 best Diane Keaton movies.

Best Diane Keaton Movies

The Godfather Trilogy (1972, 1974, 1990)

Keaton played Kay—lover then wife to Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone. She appeared in all three films of the classic mob drama trilogy, and has said she fell madly in love with Pacino while making the first film.

Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)

Keaton should have been an Oscar contender for this crime drama in which she played a teacher who cruised New York City bars at night. She told Parade that her lack of clothing in the film alarmed her father. “[He said] ‘Diane, why?’ Dad was worried; mom was more OK with it. And then when it did well, it was all fine,” she recalls.

Annie Hall (1977)

Keaton’s fourth film role alongside longtime collaborator Woody Allen earned her the first of four Oscar nominations for Best Actress—and to this day is her only win. In a part that was written specifically for her, she played the na?ve Midwestern Annie opposite Allen’s Alvy Singer, a neurotic comedian. The film won Best Picture. Keaton’s previous films with Allen were Play It Again Sam (1972), Sleeper (1973) and Love and Death (1975).

Manhattan (1979)

Woody Allen’s 1979 romantic comedy-drama, featuring Keaton as Allen’s crush and best friend’s mistress, included music from George Gershwin and is Allen’s first black-and-white film.

Reds (1981)

This epic historical drama about John Reed, the journalist who wrote of the Russian Revolution in his 1919 book, was co-written, produced and directed by Warren Beatty, who stars as Reed. Keaton co-stars as journalist and suffragist Louise Bryant.

Mrs. Soffel (1984)

Keaton excels in this period drama as a prison warden’s wife who falls in love with a convict (Mel Gibson).

Crimes of the Heart (1986)

Adapted from Beth Henley’s 1979 Pulitzer Prize–winning play of the same name, a group of sisters (Keaton, Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek) reconcile with their pasts in a reunion at their Mississippi family home.

Baby Boom (1987)

In a timely comedy, Keaton plays workaholic J.C. Wiatt who “inherits” a baby when a distant relative dies. Keaton’s character soon realizes that motherhood may not be as terrible as she thought and that “having it all” means changing your priorities in life. Her co-stars include James Spader, Sam Shepard and Harold Ramis.

Father of the Bride Part I and II (1991 and 1995)

Steve Martin is surprised and chagrined at his daughter’s marriage (then at the news of being both a new father and grandfather) in this classic comedy and sequel, which features Keaton as Martin’s wife and Kimberly Williams-Paisley as his daughter.

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)

Keaton was very funny in her return to Woody Allen’s movies (joined by Lynn Cohen, Jerry Adler, Anjelica Huston and Alan Alda). She played one half of a couple who inadvertently gets involved in the investigation of their neighbor’s death.

Marvin’s Room (1996)

She earned her third Oscar nomination for Marvin’s Room, a film based on a play of the same name, in which she plays a sick woman caring for her ailing father alongside Hume Cronyn, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.

The First Wives Club (1996)

Based on a 1992 novel, this comedy stars Keaton, Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn as three divorcées seeking retribution on their ex-husbands for leaving them for younger women.

Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

This hilarious, ever-popular romantic comedy starring Jack Nicholson, Keanu Reeves and Keaton earned her a fourth Best Actress Oscar nomination.

The Family Stone (2005)

Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson, Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams and more star alongside Keaton in this comedy-drama about a New England family’s complicated Christmas.

Mad Money (2008)

Though not Keaton’s most critically acclaimed movie, this bank heist comedy with Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes and Ted Danson is a fun romp loved by many.

The Young Pope (2016)

Keaton is Pope Pius XIII’s confidante Sister Mary in this HBO limited series (and the first Italian TV series to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy award). It also stars Jude Law.

Book Club (2018)

She starred with Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen in this romp about lifelong friends reading Fifty Shades of Grey in their book club. A sequel, set in Italy, will be released in 2023.

About Our Ads

Don't Miss