Diane Keaton: Five of the actress's lesser-known films to watch

The Oscar winner, whose career spanned more than five decades, died aged 79

Actress Diane Keaton died at the age of 79 on Saturday. Zuma Press Wire

Diane Keaton was more than just a movie star. She was a presence – funny, thoughtful, a little eccentric and always unmistakably herself. With her death at the age of 79 on Saturday, Hollywood has lost one of its most original voices, an actress who brought honesty, intelligence and warmth to roles she played.

Much will be said about her unforgettable performances in Annie Hall and The Godfather, but Keaton’s career was far richer than those popular titles. Across five decades, she took chances, playing women who were messy, curious and real – characters who didn’t always have the answers, but faced life with humour and heart.

Here are five of her lesser-known films that show the full range of her talent, from her early years to her final chapters on screen.

Interiors (1978)

Diane Keaton in Interiors (1978). United Artists

After Annie Hall made her a household name, Keaton reunited with Woody Allen for something completely different. Interiors was Allen’s first foray into drama – a stark, slow-moving family story inspired by Ingmar Bergman – and it gave Keaton one of her most restrained and haunting roles.

She plays Renata, one of three sisters struggling to come to terms with their parents’ separation and their mother’s emotional breakdown. Gone is the charm and chatter of her comic characters, instead, Keaton delivers a quiet, internal performance, full of sadness and suppressed longing.

The film divided audiences at the time, but Keaton’s work stands out for its subtlety. Her portrayal of Renata – a woman paralysed by guilt and duty, trying to find meaning in the wreckage of a family that has lost its centre – remains one of her most overlooked performances, proof that her range extended well beyond comedy.

Reds (1981)

Diane Keaton in Reds (1981). Paramount Pictures

If Annie Hall made Keaton a star, Reds proved she was an artist. Warren Beatty’s historical film about journalist John Reed and the American radicals of the early 20th century gave Keaton one of her richest, most layered roles. She plays Louise Bryant, a writer and activist who becomes Reed’s lover and intellectual equal and a woman torn between political idealism and personal longing.

Keaton’s Louise is fierce, witty and uncompromising, a modern spirit caught in a world of revolution and repression. The film’s three-hour sprawl might seem daunting, but Keaton’s performance gives it a heartbeat and humanity. She was nominated for an Oscar for a portrayal that captures both the romance and the loneliness of a woman trying to live freely in history’s shadow.

Marvin’s Room (1996)

Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler during rehearsals for the 69th Academy Awards in 1997. Keaton was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role in Marvin's Room. AFP

In the 1990s, Keaton leaned into roles that reflected a new stage of her life – women facing ageing, illness or family estrangement. Marvin’s Room, adapted from Scott McPherson’s play, is one of the most moving examples.

Keaton stars as Bessie, a woman who has spent 20 years caring for her ailing father (Hume Cronyn). When she’s diagnosed with leukaemia, she reaches out to her estranged sister (Meryl Streep) for help. What follows is not melodrama, but a tender reckoning about forgiveness, sacrifice and the quiet dignity of choosing compassion.

Keaton earned an Oscar nomination for the role. Her role as Bessie is luminous – a woman whose goodness is not naive, but hard won. In a film that could have turned saccharine, she anchors the emotion with restraint and grace, embodying the rare kind of sincerity that defined her later work.

Morning Glory (2010)

Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton in Morning Glory (2010). Paramount Pictures

As the industry aged around her, Keaton didn’t fade into reverence or retreat. Instead, she embraced self-parody – and Morning Glory captures her at her most playfully self-aware.

In this newsroom comedy, she plays Colleen Peck, a former beauty queen turned jaded morning show co-host, paired with a gruff Harrison Ford under the management of a frazzled young producer (Rachel McAdams). The film may be about generational clashes in broadcast media, but Keaton steals every scene with her comedic timing and fearless physicality.

She sings, banters and performs slapstick stunts without vanity, reminding audiences that she never took herself too seriously. Beneath the humour, though, is an undercurrent of resilience – the same spark that made her early roles so magnetic. Morning Glory isn’t a prestige drama, but it’s a showcase for a veteran performer who knew exactly how to wink at her own legend.

Hampstead (2017)

Diane Keaton and Brendan Gleeson in Hampstead (2017). Scope Pictures

Late in her career, Keaton found a niche in gentle, mature romantic comedies that paired her with unlikely leading men – from Jack Nicholson to Andy Garcia. Hampstead, a British film inspired by a true story, is one of the sweetest of these later outings.

She plays Emily, an American widow adrift in London’s genteel Hampstead Village, who discovers a hermit (Brendan Gleeson) living in a shack on nearby land. Their relationship, part friendship, part romance, unfolds slowly without cynicism.