Diane Lane was born on January 22, 1965 in New York City. Her mother was night club singer and Playboy centerfold, and her father was a Manhattan drama coach who also worked as a taxi driver and college instructor. She was 13 when her parents divorced, and she ended up living with her father. When she was in high school, her mother kidnapped her and took her to Georgia. After she and her father successfully won a court battle with her mother, Diane went back to New York.

Diane Lane first appeared on A Little Romance in 1979 where she starred opposite Laurence Olivier. She was later on featured on the cover of Time. One of the well-known Diane Lane movies is Unfaithful (2002) where she received Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. She is also renowned for her portrayal in the 2003 movie Under the Tuscan Sun which gave her another Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. However, her 2005 movie Must Love Dogs received mixed reviews.