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Inside Diane Keaton's Private World Before Her Death
While many will remember Keaton’s roles in movies such as The First Wives Club and Book Club, she didn’t necessarily consider herself part of the club when it came to Hollywood's elite. "Maybe she’d kill me for saying this," Bill Holderman, who directed her in Book Club, told The Guardian in 2023. "She knows she’s a movie star, but I don’t think she knows she’s a movie star. She’s just so in the moment of her experience and existence that to reflect on the larger…There’s just no time or space for it."It was an approach she'd maintained for decades at that point. "I think I like to deny it,” Keaton posited to Vanity Fair in 1985 when asked if she enjoyed being famous. "It suits me to deny it. It's more comfortable for me to deny it, but I suppose that's another one of my problems. Look, I don't think it's such a big deal. I don't think I'm that big a thing."
And while her long list of credits—including Annie Hall, Father of the Bride and The Family Stone to just name a few—would suggest otherwise, Keaton insisted she wasn't that different from anybody else."I can walk down the street, it's no big deal," she added. "For the most part, people don't stop me. They kind of treat me nice. You see, I'm not an idol or anything like that. They don't bother me. Sure, it's great to be…uh…I'm really lucky, obviously I'm really fortunate, and I'm grateful, but I think it's nice not to be too well known. I hope I can continue like that."
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And while Keaton was certainly known by the general public, she still managed to live a relatively private life (she was last photographed near the end of 2024)."I would call myself somebody who avoids more than anything else," the Marvin’s Room star told InStyle in 2019, before pointing to the gate that surrounded her California property. "I’ve got that 8-foot wall. It makes me feel protected, you know? Safe."However, Keaton didn’t guard how she felt about her creative passions, which in addition to acting included her photography, music, home design and ability to pull together an outfit that few would dare attempt."I’m fearless about what I like," she continued. "In other words, I’ll take it wherever I want to go. I’ve had a lot of independence, and nobody’s telling me what to do. I had a mother who encouraged that and helped me achieve the things I wanted to achieve. I’ve followed the paths I’ve wanted to follow. I like redoing houses, I like architecture, I like visuals, I like fashion, I like all of it."And The Godfather alum enjoyed the simple things in life."I value a very strong friendship, like ours, which I’ve depended on for such a long time," she told Carol Kane for Interview Magazine in 2021. "I love to walk with my dog. These are the things I love. And I really do love nature. I love exploring California. I like driving to Arizona. I really enjoy seeing. I guess my favorite thing in life is the fact that I can see. It’s just so unbelievable."
In addition to doing what she loved, Keaton shared her life with the people that she loved, including her two children she adopted in her 50s: daughter Dexter, 29, and son Duke, 25.
"I'm so thankful to have been adopted by such a strong, beautiful, and talented woman," Dexter wrote on Instagram in 2014. "I couldn't thank you enough for everything you've done for me. I love you!"
However Keaton—who never married but counted Woody Allen, Al Pacino and Warren Beatty among her exes—had previously noted her kids didn’t intend to follow in her famous footsteps."They have no interest in what I do, which I think is very healthy,” she told People in 2007. “We live a relatively normal—well, sort of normal—life.”And whether fans got glimpses into Keaton’s life on the big screen or small screen (including her Instagram where she racked up millions of followers), many will remember her as an icon—even if it’s a title she didn’t always accept for herself.“I don’t exactly understand what that means but it’s very kind of you to say,” she told Ariana Grande for Interview in 2021. “Can you explain to me how I’m iconic? What is that? I understand certain aspects of it, but it’s hard for me to deal with that. I don’t really see it that way. I live with myself and I’m hardly iconic. I get up in the morning and it’s me again. I’m just another person saying, ‘Gee, I’d better feed the dog.’”To look back at Keaton’s life in pictures, keep reading.
