Everything to Know About Diane Keaton’s Two Kids, Dexter and Duke, Who Were Her Life’s “Purpose”

Emma Banks, Giana LevySat, August 1, 2026 at 1:20 PM UTC

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Diane Keaton in 2023.Credit: Raymond Hall/Getty ImagesThe Gist -

Diane Keaton adopted her two children in her 50s.

Her daughter Dexter was born on December 15, 1995 and joined the family in 1996. Her son Duke was born on February 8, 2000 and was adopted in 2001.

Keaton passed away in October 2025.

Diane Keaton collected countless accolades during her lifetime, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award for her work in Annie Hall. But she was most proud of her role as a mom to Dexter and Duke, whom she welcomed via adoption in her 50s.

“The single greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life is adopt my two children,” Keaton told Entertainment Tonight in a 2007 interview. “I’m sure every parent feels that way. I don’t know if it keeps you young, but it keeps you active. Your life has purpose. Otherwise, what is it? It changes everything.”

Diane Keaton at her daughter Dexter’s wedding in 2021.Credit: @mrs.whitenoize

Keaton embraced motherhood as a single parent. She described parenting as “an urge I couldn’t resist,” in a 2008 interview with Ladies’ Home Journal, per People. “It was more like a thought I’d been thinking for a very long time. So I plunged in,” she said.

Keaton had previously dated her Godfather co-star Al Pacino and maintained a close friendship with her former partner Woody Allen. She also shared an off-screen romance with Warren Beatty around the time they filmed Reds in the late 1970s. Despite having several high-profile relationships over the years, Keaton has opened up about never marrying and how she came to that decision.

“I remember one day in high school, this guy came up to me and said, ‘One day you’re going to make a good wife,’” she told Peoplein 2019. “And I thought, ‘I don’t want to be a wife. No.’”

She continued, “I’m 73 and I think I’m the only one in my generation and maybe before who has been a single woman all her life,” the actress told People in 2019. “I don’t think it would have been a good idea for me to have married, and I’m really glad I didn’t, and I’m sure they’re happy about it too,” she added, referring to her ex-partners.

Diane Keaton and Warren Beatty backstage at the Night of 100 Stars at Radio City Music Hall in 1982.Credit: Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images

Even as a public figure, Keaton kept her children largely out of the spotlight, and neither of them followed in her footsteps by pursuing an acting career. At times, Dexter and Duke would make rare public appearances. In 2022, they supported Keaton at her Hand and Footprint Ceremony at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre in August 2022. But for the most part, their everyday lives have remained private.

In October 2025, Keaton passed away in Los Angeles at 79 years old. Her legacy lives on through both in her films and her children. Ahead, here’s everything you should know about Diane Keaton’s two adult kids, Dexter and Duke.

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Dexter Keaton

Diane Keaton and daughter Dexter Keaton at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Mack & Rita’ in 2022.Credit: Gilbert Flores/Getty Images

Keaton became a mom at the age of 50 when she adopted her daughter Dexter in 1996. Dexter was born on December 15, 1995 and grew up away from the spotlight. In 2012, Keaton mentioned her daughter, by then a teenager, in an interview with AARP: The Magazine. “It takes everything I have sometimes to not snuggle with Dexter. You know, at 16, you don’t want to be snuggly anymore,” she told the publication. “Sometimes I can pat her hair. Or if I’m lucky, I get a hug.”

As an adult, Dexter has shared bits and pieces of her childhood with Keaton on Instagram. In May, she acknowledged her first Mother’s Day without her mother by sharing a childhood photo of the duo sitting on the beach and penning a sweet message to the First Wives Club actress.

“First Mother’s Day without you,” she wrote. “I miss you more than words can say. Missing her voice, her hugs, her presence, and everything that made her home. I love you, Mom.”

Diane with Dexter on a snowy day in Pittsburg in 2015.Credit: @mrs.whitenoize

In 2020, Dexter got engaged to her boyfriend Jordan White. The lovebirds tied the knot on June 12, 2021 surrounded by family and friends. The bride documented the day on Instagram, writing, “His smile makes me smile,” and “My man-crush every day.” According to her LinkedIn, Dexter received an associate’s degree in veterinary technology from Carrington College California-Pomona in 2022.

Duke Keaton

Duke inside an establishment in 2020.Credit: @dukekeaton

Keaton’s son Duke was born on February 8, 2000 and joined the family in 2001. A few years later, the Something’s Gotta Give actress opened up about her new relationship to “worry” in an interview with Life Magazine.

“The shocking thing is that I worry differently now...Before kids, if I worried, it was only about myself, but that’s all you do is worry as a parent. It’s rule number one in parenting: secretly worry without letting the kids know you’re worried.”

Dexter Keaton, Diane Keaton, and Duke Keaton at their mother’s Hand and Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre in 2022.Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

These days, Duke can be found in the studio making music (as evidenced by his Instagram) and hanging out with A-list celebrities like Rita Ora and Cara Delevingne. According to his website, Duke is focused on carving his own lane in music, fashion, acting, and songwriting.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”