The Name Game: Visual and Historical Proof That Diane and Michael Keaton Aren’t Kin

Your complete guide to The Name Game: Visual and Historical Proof That Diane and Michael Keaton Aren’t Kin, including in-depth facts.

Historical vital records place Diane Keaton’s heritage squarely in Southern California. She was born in Los Angeles on January 5, 1946, to Jack Newton Hall and Dorothy Deanne Keaton. Jack Hall worked as a civil engineer and real estate broker, while Dorothy was an amateur photographer and homemaker who was crowned Mrs. Los Angeles in a local pageant, an event that profoundly shaped Diane's view of performance and domesticity.

Diane grew up in Santa Ana alongside three younger siblings: her brother Randy, and her sisters Robin and Dorrie. Her maternal grandfather was Chester Keaton, a Nebraska native whose family line traced through rural Midwestern agricultural communities with English, Irish, and German roots. Jack Hall’s paternal lineage traced back through Protestant heritage in Nebraska and Iowa.

Woody Allen later paid homage to her authentic identity when he named the title character of the 1977 romantic comedy Annie Hall. "Annie" had been her childhood family nickname, while "Hall" remained her actual legal surname. She never legally erased Diane Hall; it remained her private identity behind closed doors even as Diane Keaton claimed the 1978 Academy Award for Best Actress.