Woody Allen Publishes Eulogy Essay About Diane Keaton
by Keegan Kelly · Cracked.comThe ‘Annie Hall’ director/star pays tribute to his long-time friend, collaborator and muse
October 13, 2025
Woody Allen was at his best when the late Diane Keaton was in his movies and in his life. After Keaton’s passing, Allen says that the only opinion that ever mattered to him was hers.
Over the weekend, the entertainment industry lost one of its titans when Keaton passed away at the age of 79. Leaving behind an immense, zeitgeist-defining oeuvre and a sense of style that was so distinct that it changed the way generations of women engaged with the bowler hat, Keaton is now the subject of countless think-pieces, long-winded eulogies and career retrospectives, but those who were lucky enough to know Keaton in life as well as in her work feel her loss most strongly.
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Allen, who began a romantic relationship and a lifelong friendship with Keaton when he cast her in his 1969 theater production Play It Again, Sam, wrote his own tribute to Keaton for The Free Press. In the piece, Allen reflected on his first impressions of the artist who would become his most trusted muse, advisor and collaborator, writing, “When we first met, I thought she was so charming, so beautiful, so magical, that I questioned my sanity. I thought: Was it possible to fall in love so quickly?”
“It’s grammatically incorrect to say ‘most unique,’ but all rules of grammar, and I guess anything else, are suspended when talking about Diane Keaton,” Allen opened his essay on the woman who starred in eight of his films and who played the titular role his magnum opus Annie Hall. “Unlike anyone the planet has experienced or is unlikely to ever see again, her face and laugh illuminated any space she entered.”
Allen described the circumstances his first meeting with Keaton, in the late 1960s, when an up-and-coming Keaton was still making a name for herself on the stage. Legendary acting teacher Sandy Meisner urged one of the producers on Allen's Play It Again, Sam to consider Keaton for the female lead, a part that she would win practically on her first impression. Said Allen, “I first laid eyes on her lanky beauty at an audition and thought, ‘If Huckleberry Finn was a gorgeous young woman, he’d be Keaton.’”
Before long, the cast mates would become a couple during a post-rehearsal meal in Manhattan. Just as quickly as Allen and Keaton became lovers, Keaton turned into Allen’s most valued confidant in all matters creative, as her correct prediction that Allen’s 1969 crime comedy film Take the Money and Run would be a success proved to Allen that hers was the only opinion that mattered. “I showed her every film I made after that and grew to care only about her appraisals,” said Allen.
“As time went on I made movies for an audience of one, Diane Keaton. I never read a single review of my work and cared only what Keaton had to say about it,” Allen said of Keaton’s role in guiding his career. “If she liked it, I counted the film as an artistic success. If she was less than enthusiastic, I tried to use her criticism to reedit and come away with something she felt better about.”
As for Keaton’s famous, distinct style, Allen was also in awe of her outfits. “Her fashion sense was a sight to behold, of course. Her sartorial concoctions rivaled the contraptions of Rube Goldberg,” Allen noted. “She put together clothing that defied logic but always worked. In later years, her look became more elegant.”
Ultimately, while Allen and Keaton's romance would eventually wither away, she remained his most trusted colleague through the end of her life, and, if Allen’s conclusion is any indication, she’ll stay that way for the rest of his own. “The world is constantly being redefined, and with Keaton’s passing it is redefined once again,” Allen closed. “A few days ago the world was a place that included Diane Keaton. Now it’s a world that does not. Hence, it’s a drearier world.”
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