Michael Keaton

**Michael John Douglas** (born September 5, 1951), known professionally by the artistic name **Michael Keaton**, is an American actor. He became popular for his early comedic film roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's _Beetlejuice_ and would return to the role in the 2024 sequel _Beetlejuice Beetlejuice_. He later gained international fame for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne / Batman in Tim Burton's _Batman_ (1989), _Batman Returns_ (1992) and in _The Flash_ (2023).

Keaton won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2015 for his role in _Birdman_.

In 2016, he played Ray Kroc in _The Founder_. He played the villain, the Vulture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie _Spider-Man: Homecoming_ (2017).

## Early life

Keaton was born on September 5, 1951, in Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania. He lived in Robinson Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. His father, George A. Douglas, worked as a civil engineer and surveyor, and his mother, Leona Elizabeth (née Loftus), a homemaker, came from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Keaton was raised in a Catholic family. He is of Irish and Scots-Irish ancestry. He attended Montour High School in Pennsylvania. Douglas studied speech for two years at Kent State, before dropping out and moving to Pittsburgh.

## Career

Keaton first appeared on TV in the Pittsburgh public television programs _Where the Heart Is_ and _Mister Rogers' Neighborhood_ (1975). For_ Mister Rogers_ he played one of the "Flying Zookeeni Brothers" and was a full-time production assistant.

Keaton left Pittsburgh and moved to Los Angeles to begin auditioning for various TV parts. He decided to use a stage name to follow SAG rules, as there were already an actor (Michael Douglas) and daytime host (Mike Douglas) with the same or similar names. As a result, he searched a phone book under "K," saw "Keaton" and decided to stop looking, picking it has his surname.

Keaton's early well known roles were in _Night Shift_ (1982), _Mr. Mom_ (1983), _Gung Ho_ (1986), and _Beetlejuice_ (1988). He became well known for his role as the main superhero in _Batman_ (1989) and _Batman Returns_ (1992). He later appeared in _Pacific Heights_ (1990), _Much Ado About Nothing_ (1993), _The Paper_ (1994), _Jackie Brown_ (1997), _Herbie: Fully Loaded_ (2005), and _The Other Guys_ (2010). He also had voice roles in the animated movies _Cars_ (2006), _Toy Story 3_ (2010), and _Minions_ (2015).

Keaton was seen as having a comeback in Alejandro González Iñárritu's _Birdman_ (2014), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He has since appeared in _Spotlight_ (2015), _The Founder_ (2016), and _The Trial of the Chicago 7_ (2020).

He also played Vulture in _Spider-Man: Homecoming_ (2017), as well as returning to his role as Batman in _The Flash_ (2023). He also returned his role as Betelgeuse in _Beetlejuice Beetlejuice_ (2024).

## Politics

Keaton supported Senator Bernie Sanders for President in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

### Some movie Roles

- _Cars_ - Chick Hicks (voice)
- _Minions_ - Walter Nelson (voice)
- _Porco Rosso_ - Porco Rosso
- _Toy Story 3_ - Ken (voice)
- _Toy Story 4_ - Ken (voice)
- _Spotlight_ - Walter “Robby” Robinson

### Video Game Roles

- _Call of Duty: Black Ops II_ - Jason Hudson
- _Cars_ - Chick Hicks
- _Cars Race-O-Rama_ - Chick Hicks

## Other websites

- Story on Michael Keaton

## Infobox (person)

- **image**: Michael Keaton-63916 (cropped).jpg
- **caption**: Keaton in 2024
- **birth name**: Michael John Douglas
- **birth place**: Kennedy Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- **nationality**: American
- **education**: Montour High School
- **alma mater**: Kent State University
- **occupation**: Actor, comedian, singer
- **years active**: 1976–present
- **spouse**: Caroline McWilliams (1982–1990)
- **partner**: Courteney Cox (1989–1995)
- **children**: 1