Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton is best known for being one of Hollywood’s most accomplished “It” girls but has been criticized for her looks.
Regardless of the negative backlash the star has received, Keaton continues to hold herself in high regard, accepting herself for who she is.
She now lives comfortably in a luxury farmhouse with her two children.
Diane Keaton, originally born Diane Hall, comes from Los Angeles, California. Her father, John Newton Ignatius “Jack” Hall, was a civil engineer and real estate broker, and her mother, Dorothy Deanne Keaton, was a fledgling photographer. After completing her studies in the field of Drama, the Hollywood actress went on to accumulate star power and numerous accolades.
Keaton has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry. She is easily one of the most successful and accomplished actresses in Hollywood. Four of her films, where she played the leading lady, have been chosen by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry in light of their cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance that has shifted and influenced entertainment and pop culture.
The Hollywood icon has a plethora of noteworthy works. However, she is best known for her epic character portrayals in movies such as “The Godfather: Part II,” “Annie Hall,” “The First Wives Club,” “Love and Death,” “Play It Again, Sam,” “Father of the Bride,” “Sleeper,” and “Something’s Gotta Give.” She has also worked with the legendary likes of American filmmaker Woody Allen on many projects.
Keaton has received an immense amount of accreditation and awards throughout her career. Some of the most significant include her Academy Award win for Best Actress for the movie “Annie Hall” in 1977, her BAFTA nomination for “Manhattan,” and her Golden Globe nomination for “Looking for Mr. Goodbar,” to name a few.
Besides her illustrious career, Keaton is known for her brief romantic flings with fellow renowned stars. Though the beautiful actress has been tied to several accomplished men in the industry, she has made it clear that she does not see herself making a resurgence in the dating scene:
“I don’t date, [it’s] highly unlikely. I don’t remember anyone calling me, going, ‘This is so-and-so – I’d like to take you out.’ They don’t happen, of course not.”
Despite her non-marital status, the “Book Club” talent has been involved in a few public romantic relationships. Her off-and-on relationship with film legend Al Pacino through the late ’70s and early ’90s and her brief relationship with Allen and then Warren Beatty are most notable.
In an exclusive interview with Variety in 2016, Keaton discussed everything related to the release of her then-new movie “Rules Don’t Apply,” with Beatty as her dashing co-star. Keaton was asked about traits that she thinks make Beatty stand out from the rest and she candidly retorted:
“The first time I saw Warren was in ‘Splendor in the Grass’ [and] I mean, come on! He was to die for; a dream. I mean, ‘Bonnie and Clyde’? Come on, and not only was he beautiful, gorgeous, sexy and captivating, and mysterious and a great movie star, but he was also an unbelievable producer and director.”
In 2003, Keaton and iconic actor Keanu Reeves collaborated as co-stars in “Something’s Gotta Give.” The actors played a couple in the movie, and their on-screen chemistry left fans wondering if there was ever an official off-screen romantic exploration between them. Reeves and Keaton allegedly only started dating two years after the movie’s release in 2005.
Reportedly, Reeves had dumped his former girlfriend, Lynn Collins, in order to pursue Keaton. Though Keaton and Reeves never formally confirmed their relationship, in a 2006 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Keaton jokingly exclaimed about Reeves:
“I’m going to marry him. He likes an older woman.”
When it comes to Keaton’s reputation as a beloved and iconic actress in Hollywood, her stardom shines bright. Her charming personality makes her popular in several social circles. However, she is not free of critics. The actress has also been on the receiving end of body shaming. Back in 2014, following her appearance at the Golden Globes, a tweet surfaced that read:
“Wow. Diane Keaton got fat. #GoldenGlobes.”
Worse, the Hollywood actress has been criticized for allegedly not being a kind person. One other critic expressed their opinion on Keaton’s reportedly “ugly” personality, writing in 2022:
“Well, Diane Keaton isn’t nice. She[‘s] ugly inside and out!”
Keaton has come a long way from who she used to be before the pinnacle of her career and her incredibly fast-tracked rise to international fame.
In a 2014 interview with Dr. Oz, the “Maybe I Do” star revealed that she had bulimia in her twenties. According to the actress, she used to binge 20,000 calories a day. For her, a typical meal at dinner would consist of numerous bouts of fries with blue cheese dip and ketchup, a whole bucket of fried chicken, a few TV dinners, a massive amount of soda, cake, dozens of pieces of candy, and three banana cream pies in one sitting.
Keaton may be used to a life of glitz, glam, and lavish events, but her down-to-earth farmhouse-style mansion reflects her true affinity for a life rooted in nature…
Even while maintaining her slender and petite figure, for which she is widely known, Keaton would feel like she was obese. The star spoke about how she felt at the time while grappling with her diagnosis:
“It was horrible [and] it was, of course, the lowest point in my life… I was a fat person. I was an obese person who had somehow tricked myself and managed to hide it. I’m an addict in recovery, [and] I’ll always be an addict [because] I have an addictive nature to me.”
Though Keaton has overcome her battle with her eating disorder, the star claims she has simply filled that void with a new obsession—being super focused on work and raising her children, even though they are in their 20s.
Now that Keaton is 77 years old, the star has expressed how much she intends to allow herself to be comfortable with aging naturally.
At the 2014 Golden Globes, her gray hair was on full display and became the main topic of discussion. Fans of the star absolutely loved how she embraced her graceful aging and even prompted blog posts about how to achieve Keaton’s silver mane.
Keaton is an advocate for women embracing the natural changes that come with getting older and, in fact, encourages them. The “Baby Boom” talent announced that while she sees nothing wrong with women getting cosmetic procedures done, she intends to expose the physical changes of aging fully:
“I don’t see anything wrong with face-lifts or Botox or fillers. They just erase the hidden battle scars. I intend to wear mine, sort of.”
As the “Mack & Rita” film star gets older, she finds herself more and more attuned to self-introspection. Keaton disclosed how she frequently contemplates the longevity of her lifespan in quiet moments alone at her home:
“How long do you live? It’s [vital] what those years are like. A lot of people get sick, a lot of people don’t make it [and] it’s harder to reach out as you get older [because] I think that people don’t really consort with older people as much, or embrace them because it’s a different time of life.”
Apart from being a superstar and world-renowned actress, Keaton is also a single mother of two. The actress has one daughter, Dexter Keaton White, 27, and a son, Duke Keaton, 23. She adopted both children when she was in her 50s.
According to Keaton, motherhood was a feat she never thought she would necessarily be ready for. Reflecting on her decision to become a mother when she did, she said :
“I didn’t think that I was ever going to be prepared to be a mother. Motherhood was not an urge I couldn’t resist, [and] it was more like a thought I’d been thinking for a very long time. So I plunged in.”
Keaton’s kids have done their best to keep their private lives away from the spotlight, and as far as careers go, both have chosen not to follow in their mother’s footsteps. And this is something that Mama Keaton prefers:
“They have no interest in what I do, which I think is very healthy. We live a relatively normal life—well, sort of normal—life.”
Though both kids make an active effort to lead private lives, they always make sure to support their mother. In a rare public appearance, they stepped out to show their mother some love at her Hand and Footprint Ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 2022.
Keaton may be used to a life of glitz, glam, and lavish events, but her down-to-earth farmhouse-style mansion reflects her true affinity for a life rooted in nature and essentialism while still maintaining a tinge of class and luxury. Apparently, Keaton’s home was Pinterest-inspired, as the star reportedly has “an obsession” with Pinterest.
Her beautiful country-esque abode boasts sprawling spaces and was built in approximately three and a half years. Many may not know that Keaton has a knack for architecture and design, and she has a wealth of experience flipping houses.
Keaton had a particular penchant for Spanish Colonial Revival refurbishments when turning over houses in the past. But when it came to building her own home, she started collecting inspiration from various blogs and magazines, and in the process, discovered Pinterest. In her book, “The House that Pinterest Built,” Keaton wrote:
“With Pinterest as my muse, the fantasy of a dream home took off. Pinterest is a place where wordless juxtapositions are the perfect format for collecting and editing those dreams.”
After drafting a series of Pinterest mood boards for her home, Keaton handed the concepts over to architect David Takacs and designer and friend Stephen Shadley. The house was built in Sullivan Canyon in the middle of west Los Angeles and boasts 2,500 square meters.
The walled-in compound is earth and water-resistant, and fireproof. The incredible mansion’s exterior, foundation, outdoor area, and chimney are made entirely from 75,000 handpicked clay bricks.
Growing up as a little girl at age 5, Keaton expressed how she always knew that she was destined to live in a brick house, having been inspired by the “Three Little Pigs” storybook. At first, the star had the idea of layering a coat of paint over the bricks, but after being enchanted with its rustic-chic appearance, she decided to leave the house as is.
In the heart of the home, aka the kitchen, Keaton’s luxurious abode is kitted out with all custom-made furnishings. The massive kitchen island has chicken wire cabinetry and overhead pendant lights made from repurposed material. Up on the ceiling are several huge windows giving way to an influx of natural light.
Keaton’s home is full of niche old-fashioned but modern elements and objects which add to the stunning mansion’s industrial charm and character. With an array of beautifully framed windows and classic French doors, all the communal spaces in the house have more than enough space and exposure to the outside world.
Keaton’s home is full of history and meaning. Every aesthetic and architectural choice has a story behind it.
Despite the occasional hateful comment that tends to make its way to the star now and again, Keaton refuses to buy into the negativity. The “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” star embraces her graceful aging, still lives life to the fullest in her big, beautiful farmhouse-inspired home, and continues to work on upcoming industry productions.
