Michael Keaton's Biography
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.... 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.
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:...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.
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"....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?
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 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.
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.
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