In the late 1960s, Diane Keaton (January 5, 1946 – October 11, 2025) was a rising stage actress in New York City, years away from becoming a household name but already establishing the “eccentric” reputation that would define her career. Born Diane Hall, she moved to New York at 19 to study at the Neighborhood Playhouse under the legendary Sanford Meisner. Because there was already an actress named Diane Hall in the union, she took her mother’s maiden name, Keaton.
In 1968, Keaton landed her first major professional role in the original Broadway production of the rock musical Hair. Notably, she was one of the few cast members who declined to undress for the show’s famous nude scene.
In 1969, she auditioned for Woody Allen’s Broadway play Play It Again, Sam. Her performance as Linda Christie earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play. This role sparked a long-term creative partnership and a romantic relationship with Allen.
Even in the late 1960s, Keaton was known for an idiosyncratic and personal style that favored vintage and thrifted pieces. She frequently visited Goodwill stores, which she called her “sanctuary,” to find unique items. Her look was characterized by a “fresh-faced” naturalism and a preference for unconventional fashion choices, such as requesting to wear a bowler hat to her high school prom just a few years earlier.
Photographers of the era, such as Peter Basch, captured her in 1968 as a young actress with a “relaxed yet sophisticated” demeanor, marking her as a unique presence compared to the typical Hollywood starlets of the time.
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