Michael Keaton

Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor who became popular for his early comedic film roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, and gained international fame for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne / Batman in Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. He has appeared in various other films, including Night Shift, Clean and Sober, Pacific Heights, Much Ado About Nothing and Jackie Brown, and has also provided voicework in Pixar's Cars Toy Story 3 and even Gung Ho (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun).
==Early life==
Keaton, the youngest of seven children, was born in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, and 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.A LEADING MAN WITHOUT PAUSE - The Record (Bergen County, NJ) | HighBeam Research Keaton was raised in a Catholic family, and is of Scottish and Irish ancestry.and went to St. Malachy Church ENTERTAINMENT NEWS | WHAS11.com | News for Louisville, Kentuckyhttp://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Artists/K/Keaton_Michael/2008/01/25/4793291-sun.html He attended Montour High School in Pennsylvania. Douglas studied speech for two years at Kent State, before dropping out and moving to Pittsburgh.
==Career==
===Early career===
An unsuccessful attempt at comedy led Keaton to working as a TV cameraman at public television station WQED (TV) in Pittsburgh. Keaton first appeared on TV in Pittsburgh-based public television programs, including "Where the Heart Is" and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1975), as one of the "Flying Zucchini Brothers.""Keaton offers advice to young actors." ABC.com. April 14, 2008. He also served as a full-time production assistant on the show."15 reasons Mr. Rogers was best neighbor ever." CNN.com. July 28, 2008. In 2004, following Fred Rogers' death, Keaton hosted the PBS memorial tribute program, Fred Rogers: Everybody's Favorite Neighbor. Keaton also worked as an actor in Pittsburgh theatre; he played the role of Rick in the Pittsburgh premiere of David Rabe's Sticks and Bones with the Pittsburgh Poor Players.Conner, Lynne (2007). Pittsburgh In Stages: Two Hundred Years of Theater. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 178. ISBN 978-0-8229-4330-3. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
Keaton left Pittsburgh and moved to Los Angeles to begin auditioning for various TV parts. He popped up in various popular TV shows including Maude and The Mary Tyler Moore Hour. Around this time Keaton decided to use an alternative surname to avoid confusion with well-known actor Michael Douglas and daytime host Mike Douglas, as well as to satisfy SAG rules. The rumor that Keaton changed his surname because of an attraction to actress Diane Keaton is incorrect. He chose Keaton because of an affinity for the physical comedy of Buster Keaton.Keaton, Eleanor; Vance, Jeffrey (2001). Buster Keaton Remembered. Harry N. Abrams Inc. pp. 124. ISBN 13: 9780810942271. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
His next key break was working alongside James Belushi in the short-lived comedy series Working Stiffs, which showcased his comedic talent and led to a co-starring role in the comedy Night Shift directed by Ron Howard. His role as the fast-talking schemer Bill "Blaze" Blazejowski alongside Henry Winkler's nerdish morgue attendant earned Keaton some critical acclaim, and he scored leads in the subsequent comedy hits Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously, and Gung Ho.
Keaton's role as the title character in Tim Burton's 1988 horror-comedy Beetlejuice, which co-starred Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder, earned Keaton widespread acclaim and boosted him to movieland's A list. He originally turned down the role, then reconsidered. He now considers Beetlejuice his favorite of his own films. That same year, he also gave an acclaimed dramatic performance as a drug-addicted businessman in Clean and Sober. Newsweek featured him in a story during this time.
===Batman===
Michael Keaton's career was given another major boost when he was again cast by Tim Burton, this time as the titular comic book superhero of the 1989 blockbuster Batman. Burton cast him because he thought that Keaton was the only actor who could believably portray someone who has the kind of darkly obsessive personality that the character demands.Nancy Griffin; Kim Masters (1997). "Hit Men". Hit & Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony For A Ride In Hollywood. Simon & Schuster. pp. 158–174. ISBN 0-684-80931-1. Warner Bros. received thousands of letters of complaint by fans commenting that Keaton was the wrong choice to portray Batman, given his prior work in comedies and the fact that he lacked the suave, handsome features and tall, muscular physicality often attributed to the character in the comic books.Hilary de Vries (1989-02-05). "Batman Battles for Big Money". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2008. However, Keaton's dramatic performance earned widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike,Alison McMahan (2005). "Burton's Batman: Myth, Marketing, and Merchandising". The Films of Tim Burton: Animating Live Action in Contemporary Hollywood. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale. ISBN 0-8264-1566-0 121–156. and Batman became one of the most successful films of the year.Staff (1989-06-27). "Batman Sets Record And So Does Hollywood". The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
According to Les Daniels' reference book, Batman: The Complete History, Keaton wasn't surprised when he was first considered as Batman as he initially believed the film would be similar to the 1960s television series starring Adam West. It was only after he was introduced to Frank Miller's comic book mini-series, The Dark Knight Returns, that Keaton really understood the dark and brooding side of Batman that he portrayed to much fan approval.Les Daniels (2000). Batman: The Complete History. Chronicle Books. p. 164. ISBN 0-8118-2470-5. Keaton later reprised the role in the sequel Batman Returns (1992), which was another critically acclaimed success, though also controversial for being darker than the previous film.Salisbury, Burton, p.102-114
He was initially set to reprise the role again for Warner Bros.' third live-action Batman film, even going as far as to show up for costume fitting. However, when Burton was dropped as director of the film, Keaton left the franchise. He was reportedly dissatisfied with the screenplay approved by the new director, Joel Schumacher, which Keaton considered to be too light-hearted in tone. According to the A&E Biography episode on Keaton, after he had refused the first time (after meetings with Schumacher), Warner Bros. offered him $15,000,000, but Keaton steadfastly refused. He was subsequently replaced by Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995) and by George Clooney in Batman & Robin (1997).
===Later career===
Keaton remained in demand during the 1990s, appearing in a wide range of films including Pacific Heights, One Good Cop, My Life, and the star-studded Shakespearean story Much Ado About Nothing. He also starred in another Ron Howard film, The Paper, as well as with Andie MacDowell in Multiplicity. He has played Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agent Ray Nicolette in the crime dramas Jackie Brown (1997) and Out of Sight (1998). Both films are based on books by the author Elmore Leonard. The actor also made the family holiday movie Jack Frost and the thriller Desperate Measures.
Keaton starred as a political candidate's speechwriter in 1994's Speechless with Geena Davis (his co-star in Beetlejuice) and Christopher Reeve (who, like Keaton, also portrayed a famous DC Comics superhero on film; Superman).
Since 2000, Keaton has appeared in several films with mixed success including Live From Baghdad (for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award), First Daughter, White Noise, and Herbie: Fully Loaded. While he continued to receive good notices from the critics (particularly for Jackie Brown), he was not able to re-approach the box-office success of Batman until the release of Disney/Pixar's Cars (2006), in which he voiced the character Chick Hicks. On New Years Day of 2004, he hosted the PBS TV special Mr. Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor. It was released by Triumph Marketing LLC on DVD September 28 that year.
In 2006, Keaton starred in an independent film called Game 6, a semi-thriller based around the infamous 1986 World Series bid by the Boston Red Sox. He had a cameo in the Tenacious D short film, Time Fixers, an iTunes exclusive. The 9-minute film was released to coincide with Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. Keaton was announced to be the lead in Media 8 Entertainment's film Reaper, a supernatural thriller. He reportedly agreed to star as John Target in the Matt Evans scripted No Rule To Make Target, and he has directed a drama, The Merry Gentleman.
Keaton reportedly was cast as Dr. Jack Shephard in the series Lost, with the understanding that the role of Jack would be a brief one. Once the role was retooled to be a long-running series regular, Keaton withdrew. The part was then given to actor Matthew Fox. The show ran for six seasons, with the Jack Shephard role continuing throughout.
Keaton starred in the 2007 TV mini-series The Company, set during the Cold War, in which he portrayed the real-life CIA counterintelligence chief James Jesus Angleton. The role garnered Keaton a 2008 SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries. The Company also starred Chris O'Donnell, who portrayed Batman's crime fighting sidekick Robin (who was absent from the Batman films Keaton starred in) in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.
Keaton provided the voice of Ken in Toy Story 3 (2010). The movie received overwhelmingly positive acclaim and grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making it one of the most financially successful films ever. He announced in June 2010 his interest in returning for a Beetlejuice sequel. He also played the minor role of Captain Gene Mauch in the comedy The Other Guys.
In early 2013, "The Hollywood Reporter" announced that Keaton would be starring -- alongside Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis in "Birdman", a movie based on a Raymond Chandler short story, scheduled for 2014 release. The comedy is the latest project from 21 Grams and Biutiful director, Alejandro González Iñárritu. In the movie, Keaton will play a former actor, famous for playing an iconic superhero, who puts on a Broadway play to regain his former glory. Stone plays his fresh-out-of-rehab daughter/assistant. Watts is his co-star and Galifianakis is the play's producer.
==Personal life==
Keaton was married to actress Caroline McWilliams from 1982 until 1990. They have one child, Sean Maxwell (born 1983). He also had a relationship with actress Courteney Cox from 1989 to 1995.
Keaton, a Pittsburgh native, is a big Pittsburgh Pirates fan. He even went so far as to negotiate a break in his Batman movie contract in case the Pirates made the playoffs that year. He is also a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan. An avid fisherman, Keaton can be seen on the saltwater fishing series Buccaneers & Bones on Outdoor Channel, along with Tom Brokaw, Zach Gilford, Thomas McGuane and Yvon Chouinard.Buccaneers And Bones. Retrieved Feb 24, 2011.
==Filmography==
===Film===
Year	Film 	Role 	Notes
1978	Rabbit Test 	Sailor 	Film Debut
1982	Night Shift 	Bill Blazejowski 	Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor
1983	Mr. Mom 	Jack Butler 	
1984	Johnny Dangerously 	Jonathan "Johnny" Kelly (a.k.a. Johnny Dangerously)	
1986	Gung Ho 	Hunt Stevenson 	Australian title Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
1986	Touch and Go 	Robert "Bobby" Barbato 	
1987	The Squeeze 	Harold "Harry" Berg 	
1988	She's Having a Baby 	Himself 	uncredited cameo
1988	Beetlejuice 	Betelgeuse 	Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1988	Clean and Sober 	Daryl Poynter 	National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
1989	The Dream Team 	William "Billy" Caufield 	
1989	Batman 	Bruce Wayne / Batman 	
1990	Pacific Heights 	Carter Hayes 	
1991	One Good Cop 	Arthur "Artie" Lewis 	
1992	Batman Returns 	Bruce Wayne / Batman 	Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (with Michelle Pfeiffer)
1992	Porco Rosso 	Porco Rosso 	voice in 2003 English dubbed version
1993	Much Ado About Nothing 	Dogberry 	
1993	My Life 	Robert "Bob" Jones 	
1994	The Paper 	Henry Hackett 	
1994	Speechless 	Kevin Vallick 	
1996	Multiplicity 	Douglas "Doug" Kinney 	
1997	Inventing the Abbotts 	Narrator / Older Doug 	uncredited
1997	Jackie Brown 	Raymond "Ray" Nicolette 	
1998	Desperate Measures 	Peter McCabe 	
1998	Out of Sight 	Raymond "Ray" Nicolette 	cameo
1998	Jack Frost 	Jack Frost 	
2000	A Shot at Glory 	Peter Cameron 	
2002	Live from Baghdad 	Robert Wiener 	
2003	Quicksand 	Martin Raikes 	
2004	First Daughter 	President Mackenzie 	
2005	White Noise 	Jonathan Rivers 	
2005	Game 6 	Nicholas "Nicky" Rogan 	
2005	Herbie: Fully Loaded 	Raymond "Ray" Peyton, Sr. 	
2006	Cars 	Chick Hicks / Security Guard 	voice only
2006	The Last Time 	Ted "Theodore" 	
2009	The Merry Gentleman 	Franklin "Frank" Logan 	director, actor
2009	Post Grad 	Walter Malby 	
2009	Noah's Ark: The New Beginning 	Noah 	voice only
2010	Toy Story 3 	Ken 	voice only
2010	The Other Guys 	Captain Gene Mauch 	
2011	Hawaiian Vacation 	Depri Ken 	voice only
2014	RoboCop 	Raymond Sellars 	
2014	Need for Speed 	 	
2014	Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)	Actor 	
2017	Spider-Man: Homecoming 	Adrian Toomes / Vulture 	
2024	Knox Goes Away 	 	
2024	Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024 A.D. 	Beetlejuice 	
===Television===
Year	Production 	Role 	Other notes
1976	All's Fair 	Lannie Wolf 	
1977	Klein Time 	Various 	
1977	Maude 	Chip Winston 	
1978	Mary 	Skit characters	
1978	The Tony Randall Show 	Zeke 	
1979	The Mary Tyler Moore Hour 	Kenneth Christy	
1979	Working Stiffs 	Mike O'Rourke 	
1981	Kraft Walt Disney World 10th Anniversary	Various 	
1982	Report To Murphy 	Murphy 	
2001	The Simpsons 	Jack Crowley 	1 episode guest star
2002	Frasier 	Blaine Sternin 	1 episode guest star
2002	Live from Baghdad 	Robert Wiener 	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
2002	King of the Hill 	Trip Larsen 	1 episode guest star
2004	Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor	Host 	Nominated – Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special
2007	The Company 	James Angleton 	Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2011	30 Rock 	Tom 	1 episode guest star
===Video Games===
Year	Production 	Role 	Other notes
2006	Cars 	Chick Hicks 	Voice only
2009	Cars Race-O-Rama 	Chick Hicks 	Voice only
2012	Call of Duty: Black Ops II	Jason Hudson	Replacing Ed Harris
==References==
==External links==
* 
* Story on Michael Keaton and his hometown Pittsburgh Pirates opening day controversy
Category:Film actors
Category:Television actors
Category:Voice actors
Category:Living people
Category:1951 Births