The Tate Lecture Series welcomes another figure to campus this Tuesday, May 4.
Acclaimed actress and director Diane Keaton will answer students’ questions at the Turner Construction/Wells Fargo Student Forum tomorrow in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom at 4:40 p.m.
This forum is free to all staff, faculty, and students, but an RSVP is requested since seating is limited. Those attending may RSVP online at smu.edu/tateseries.
At 8 p.m. in McFarlin Auditorium, Keaton will present her sold-out Tolleson lecture. Students with a valid ID can still get free tickets for the lecture in the basement of McFarlin Auditorium an hour before the event.
Tickets will be given to students on a first-come, first-serve basis, so those interested are advised to arrive early.
The SMU campus attracts numerous high-profile visitors each year. Highlights from this year include the first man on the moon, a successful and philanthropic clothing designer and a previous Supreme Court justice.
Visits from Buzz Aldrin, Kenneth Cole and Clarence Thomas were all facilitated by the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series.
According to many sources, including Internet Movie Database’s Web site, Keaton’s interest in acting was first sparked when her mother won a homemakers’ pageant in their hometown of Los Angeles, Calif. Keaton began acting onstage during high school, and continued her studies at Santa Anna and Orange Coast Colleges.
She soon dropped out of college to pursue an acting career in New York City. Keaton, born Diane Hall, changed her name after joining the Actor’s Equity Association to avoid confusion with another actress.
In 1968 she was the understudy of the lead of Broadway’s original cast of “Hair.” She broke into film acting by scoring several roles in Woody Allen movies.
She debuted in “Play it Again, Sam,” and reached great success when Allen wrote “Annie Hall” specifically for her. Her performance in “Annie Hall” won her the first of her 18 awards, including an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress.
After proving herself in the comedic arena, Keaton tackled numerous dramatic roles in “Looking for Mr. Goodbar,” and a variety of other popular films. Her career has resulted in 50 movies that she has directed or acted in, and 23 nominations.
