Michael Keaton is a Hollywood actor and director, composer and producer, who gained worldwide fame for his roles as Batman and Beetlejuice in Tim Burton's eponymous films.
He earned his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after starring in Alejandro González Iñárritu's drama "Birdman". His brilliant, somewhat autobiographical performance earned him an Oscar nomination as well as several film awards, including a Golden Globe. In 2023, it was announced that Keaton would once again appear before fans as Batman in the superhero film "The Flash".
Michael Keaton
Childhood, Youth, Family
Michael John Douglas was born in the fall of 1951 into a large family of Leona Elizabeth and George A. Douglas in the town of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. Through his father, a construction engineer and surveyor, the boy inherited Scottish, German, and English roots, and from his mother, a housewife, Irish ones.
When Michael was 18, his mother suffered a stroke, which left half of her body paralyzed. "She took care of us and herself with one hand. It was heart-wrenching," Keaton later recalled.
Michael Keaton as a child
The youngest of all the siblings, Michael, despite his strict Catholic upbringing and serving as an altar boy in the local church, was considered a hopeless student at school, as he couldn't concentrate on his studies. Still, he couldn't be called ignorant: he was most interested in books, which he devoured one after another.
His studies didn't go well at the rhetoric faculty of Kent State University in Ohio, either. At some point, the young man became interested in journalism, wrote several stories, and tried his hand at playwriting. However, boring lectures quickly bored Michael, and he moved to Pittsburgh, where he had a stint as a security guard, bartender, and model. For a while, he worked on an Indian reservation, where he took up meditation.
Michael Keaton in his youth
There he considered an acting career and began performing in local clubs as a stand-up comic on the advice of friends. Later, Michael openly talked about the beginning of his creative journey in one of his interviews:
Stand-up is the best training for a young actor. You don't need to go through auditions, but this job is a daily audition. If the audience doesn't like you, you won't be invited the next night. I've never treated this genre as hackwork. I've always tried to find new forms, improvise, invent new approaches and stories that would captivate the listeners.
Acting Career
After settling in Pittsburgh, Michael never lost hope of making a name for himself. He performed in local theatre, considered moving to New York to act on Broadway, but eventually, when two of his friends impulsively headed to Los Angeles, he joined them. "If it wasn't for that impulsive act, I probably wouldn't have made it in the movies," Keaton later shared.
Moving to Los Angeles, Michael immediately started attending auditions. To avoid confusion with his namesake, actor Michael Douglas, he adopted the pseudonym Keaton, borrowing it from the famous silent film comedian Buster Keaton.
Michael Keaton in 'Night Shift'
In 1975, the aspiring actor made his debut in the comedy series "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," then landed minor roles in several other series, and only in 1982 did he get one of the significant roles in Ron Howard's comedy "Night Shift". The main character was played by Kevin Costner, but Keaton received a Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Michael Keaton - Stand Up - 1980
The next steps in Michael's career were the leading roles of Jack Butler in the dramedy "Mr. Mom" and Johnny Kelly in the crime comedy "Johnny Dangerously".
Michael Keaton in 'Mr. Mom'
But it was only his portrayal of the prankster-ghost Beetlejuice in Tim Burton's film of the same name that brought the actor real popularity and a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. At the same time, critics harshly criticized the performances of Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis. The director admitted that it was Keaton who made the film vibrant.
Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice
The actor started being called a Hollywood star of the first magnitude after the leading role in Burton's "Batman" and its sequel "Batman Returns". Unlike previous film incarnations, Michael's Batman is a thoughtful, somewhat gloomy, and reflective character.
Michael Keaton as Batman
Keaton, in his characteristic humorous manner, said that he showed incredible courage in taking on this role:
... it was pure adventure. If the film hadn't been successful, we all - Tim Burton, Jack Nicholson (the Joker's role performer, ed.), I - would have looked very foolish! Our gothic tale was completely out of the mainstream - the film was very different from everything that was being filmed at that time.
Despite receiving five million dollars for the first, Oscar-winning part, and ten million for the second, he refused to appear in the sequel to the comic book film. The next Batmen were Val Kilmer and George Clooney, while the second millennium was opened by Bruce Wayne played by Christian Bale. Meanwhile, Keaton took a break from filming, dedicating his time to raising his son and addressing climate change issues.
Michael Keaton in 'Batman Returns'
The actor managed to move away from the superhero image that stuck to him, appearing in melodramas "Speechless," "The Paper," "Multiplicity," and in 1997 he worked on the set of Quentin Tarantino's crime thriller "Jackie Brown" with Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson.
Michael Keaton in 'Jackie Brown'
The beginning of the new millennium did not bring Michael significant roles, except for the character Robert Wiener in the mini-series "Live from Baghdad". For creating the image of a reporter in a hot spot, Keaton was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Michael Keaton in the mini-series 'Live from Baghdad'
A new surge in popularity and new awards brought the actor the role of Birdman in the 2014 noir drama of the same name by director Alejandro González Iñárritu. His character Riggan Thompson is an aging artist who once became famous thanks to the superhero role of Birdman. He tries to collect the remnants of his past glory and put on a play on Broadway, but his inner demons do not sleep.
Michael Keaton in 'Birdman'
Of course, viewers drew parallels between the character and Keaton himself. But the actor believes that this is just a coincidence:
...I admit, I'm an actor who played Batman, and a film called 'Birdman' is also about an actor who played a superhero, and the bird in some ways resembles a bat. But I'm sure that if Alejandro has at least a drop of common sense, he thought about five or six other actors besides me who would fit this role.
Talking about working on the role, Michael admitted that before filming, the director handed all the actors a photo of Philippe Petit, walking on a wire stretched between the Twin Towers:
...he handed it over with the message: 'This is roughly what awaits us during the filming - constant high-altitude rope walking. If we fall, we die.' Inspiring, right?
In 2016, Keaton appeared in the lead role in the biographical drama "The Founder", playing Ray Kroc, a salesperson who turned the McDonald brothers' small restaurant into a global franchise. Critics called the film "smart" and Keaton's performance "charming".
Michael Keaton in 'The Founder'
Then Keaton played the villain Adrian Toomes, also known as Vulture, in Jon Watts' blockbuster "Spider-Man: Homecoming". Since Michael was never a comic book fan, he was helped by two familiar girls aged 8 and 11 - they patiently explained to him who is who in the Marvel universe.
Michael Keaton in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'
Successful were also the role of the antagonist Vandemere in the film adaptation of the cartoon "Dumbo", and the character of US Attorney General Ramsey Clark created by the actor in Aaron Sorkin's drama "The Trial of the Chicago 7". In addition, Keaton landed the leading role in the medical series "Dopesick", for which he was awarded his second Golden Globe in his life and several other awards.
Michael Keaton in 'Dumbo'
Michael Keaton's Personal Life
In his interviews, the actor has often emphasized that his family, which consists of his only son, his wife, and his grandson, is the most important part of his life.
Michael Keaton with his grandson
His son, Sean Maxwell Douglas, was born in 1983. His mother is actress Caroline McWilliams, with whom Keaton was married for eight years. His wife was six years older than him.
Michael Keaton and Caroline McWilliams
The couple got divorced in 1990, but Michael dedicated nearly all of his free time to his son. He even turned down roles in films, for example in the comedy "Police Academy" and the series "Lost", to avoid being away from his son for too long. He is incredibly proud that Sean is now a talented songwriter and music producer, a Grammy Award winner for his work on the album "Cuz I Love You" by Lizzo.
Michael Keaton with his son
Keaton never married again, although he did date actress Courteney Cox (known for her Golden Globe-nominated role in the musical "Birds of Prey" and as the lead in the series "Friends").
Michael Keaton and Courteney Cox
The actor also had affairs with actress Michelle Pfeiffer and model Odessa Lynn.
Michael Keaton Now
According to Michael, he is now only working on projects that interest him and he can afford not to chase money. Fame, as such, has never really tempted him.
In the summer of 2023, the actor once again delighted fans in the superhero guise of Batman in the action-adventure "The Flash", and in the fall, Keaton emerged as the director and lead actor in the thriller "The Protege". The premiere took place at the film festival in Toronto, Canada and was well received by the audience.
Michael Keaton in the movie “Flash”
Michael's character is John Knox, a contract killer with progressing dementia. He must beat the clock and save his son (an unexpected role of a henpecked family man was played by James Marsden).
The Flash: Batman Returns... Again
Michael's character evokes human empathy, as he will soon forget even his own name, let alone his grown child, for whom he risks his life. Also starred in the movie are Al Pacino and Marcia Gay Harden.
In addition, viewers are eagerly awaiting the continued collaboration of Burton and Keaton in the movie "Beetlejuice 2", the script for which has already been written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.
