Diane Keaton moved with grace through dozens of character arcs, and into audience hearts

By Bob Mondello

Published October 13, 2025 at 4:14 PM EDT

Many of the headlines marking the passing of actress Diane Keaton this weekend have mentioned Annie Hall, the film that earned her an Oscar and made her a distinctively haphazard fashion icon. But there was always more to her, and audiences sensed that.

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Bob Mondello

Bob Mondello, who jokes that he was a jinx at the beginning of his critical career — hired to write for every small paper that ever folded in Washington, just as it was about to collapse — saw that jinx broken in 1984 when he came to NPR.