Diane Keaton, Oscar-winning actress known for 'Annie Hall,' 'First Wives Club,' dies at 79

Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning prima of 'Annie Hall,' 'The Godfather' films and 'Father of the Bride,' whose quirky, vibrant mode and extent made her 1 of the astir singular actors of a generation, has died. She was 79.

Details of Keaton's death, including the cause, were not instantly available.

The unexpected quality was met with daze astir the world. Keaton was the benignant of histrion who helped marque films iconic and timeless, from her "La-dee-da, la-dee-da" phrasing arsenic Annie Hall, bedecked successful that necktie, bowler hat, vest and khakis, to her heartbreaking crook arsenic Kay Adams, the pistillate unfortunate capable to articulation the Corleone family.

Her star-making performances successful the 1970s, galore of which were successful Woody Allen films, were not a flash successful the cookware either, and she would proceed to charm caller generations for decades acknowledgment successful portion to a longstanding collaboration with filmmaker Nancy Meyers.

She played a businessperson who unexpectedly inherits an babe successful "Baby Boom," the parent of the bride successful the beloved remake of "Father of the Bride," a recently azygous pistillate successful "First Wives Club," and a divorced playwright who gets progressive with Jack Nicholson's euphony enforcement successful "Something's Gotta Give."

Keaton won her archetypal Oscar for "Annie Hall" and would spell connected to beryllium nominated 3 much times, for "Reds," "Marvin's Room" and "Something's Gotta Give."

In her precise Keaton way, upon accepting her Oscar successful 1978 she laughed and said, "This is something."

Keaton was calved Diane Hall successful January 1946 successful Los Angeles, though her household was not portion of the movie manufacture she would find herself in. Her parent was a homemaker and photographer, and her begetter was successful existent property and civilian engineering.

Keaton was drawn to theatre and singing portion successful schoolhouse successful Santa Ana, Calif., and she dropped retired of assemblage aft a twelvemonth to marque a spell of it successful Manhattan. Actors' Equity already had a Diane Hall successful their ranks, and she took Keaton, her mother's maiden name, arsenic her own.

She studied nether Sanford Meisner successful New York and has credited him with giving her the state to "chart the analyzable terrain of quality behaviour wrong the information of his guidance. It made playing with occurrence fun."

"More than anything, Sanford Meisner helped maine larn to admit the darker broadside of behavior," she wrote successful her 2012 memoir, "Then Again." "I ever had a knack for sensing it but not yet the courageousness to delve into specified dangerous, illuminating territory."

She started connected the signifier arsenic an understudy successful the Broadway accumulation for "Hair," and successful Allen' s "Play It Again, Sam" successful 1968, for which she would person a Tony nomination.

Keaton made her movie debut successful the 1970 romanticist drama "Lovers and Other Strangers," but her large breakthrough would travel a fewer years aboriginal erstwhile she was formed successful Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather," which won champion representation and go 1 of the astir beloved films of each time. And yet adjacent she hesitated to instrumentality for the sequel, though aft speechmaking the publication she decided otherwise.

The 1970s were an incredibly fruitful clip for Keaton acknowledgment successful portion to her ongoing collaboration with Allen successful some comedic and melodramatic roles. She appeared successful "Sleeper," "Love and Death," "Interiors," Manhattan," "Manhattan Murder Mystery" and the movie mentation of "Play it Again, Sam."

Allen and the precocious Marshall Brickman gave Keaton 1 of her astir iconic roles successful "Annie Hall," the infectious pistillate from Chippewa Falls whom Allen's Alvy Singer cannot get over. The movie is considered 1 of the large romanticist comedies of each time, with Keaton's eccentric, self-deprecating Annie astatine its heart.

In the New York Times, professional Vincent Canby wrote, "As Annie Hall, Miss Keaton emerges arsenic Woody Allen's Liv Ullman. His camera finds quality and affectional resources that someway flight the announcement of different directors. Her Annie Hall is simply a marvelous nut."

Keaton and Allen were besides successful a romanticist relationship, from astir 1968, erstwhile she met him portion auditioning for his play, until astir 1974. Afterward they remained collaborators and friends.

"He was truthful hip, with his heavy glasses and chill suits," Keaton wrote successful her memoir. "But it was his mode that got me, his mode of gesturing, his hands, his coughing and looking down successful a self-deprecating mode portion helium told jokes."

She was besides romantically linked to Al Pacino, who played her hubby successful "The Godfather," and Warren Beatty who directed her and whom she co-starred with successful "Reds." She ne'er joined but did follow 2 children erstwhile she was successful her 50s: a daughter, Dexter, and a son, Duke.

"I figured the lone mode to recognize my number-one imagination of becoming an existent Broadway philharmonic drama prima was to stay an adoring daughter. Loving a man, a man, and becoming a wife, would person to beryllium enactment aside," she wrote successful the memoir.

"The names changed, from Dave to Woody, past Warren, and yet Al. Could I person made a lasting committedness to them? Hard to say. Subconsciously I indispensable person known it could ne'er work, and due to the fact that of this they'd ne'er get successful the mode of achieving my dreams."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.