Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951 in Kennedy Township, Pennsylvania), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor, director, producer, singer/songwriter and comedian whose blue eyes will burn into your soul. Nah, he's actually a pretty easy goin' guy.
As just said, his real name is Michael John Douglas, but since there was already a Michael Douglas (and a Mike Douglas
) in the Screen Actors Guild, which doesn't permit doubles on its rolls, he chose to use the last name of Keaton partly due to Buster Keaton and partly because he heard the name and thought it sounded good (he has never legally changed his name, though).
After cutting his teeth in TV sitcoms, Keaton became known for starring in comedies such as Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously, and Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, although he would become notable for his range in both comedy and drama when Burton cast him as the eponymous Caped Crusader in Batman, which was meant to be a return to the character's roots as a grim avenger of the night. Fans did not open up to the casting at first, sending letters to Warner Bros. complaining that Keaton had only done comedynote and that he was too short and too "ugly" to play Batman. In response, Warner Bros. released a quick 90-second trailer showcasing a glimpse of Keaton's badassery and seriousness in the role, shutting the naysayers up. The film, of course, went on to become the blockbuster movie of 1989, with many of the same fans who were initially skeptical of Keaton's casting now pushing for him to receive an Oscar nomination for his performance.
Keaton and Burton returned to the franchise with Batman Returns; while it still raked in the dough, it didn't do as well as the first, thanks to the considerably Darker and Edgier tone that more than a few Moral Guardians deemed unfit for a movie that they perceived to be aimed at children – since it was, after all, a comic book movie. Keaton was initially attached to what became Batman Forever and even did some costume testing, but when Warner Bros. demoted Burton to producer and Keaton looked at the Lighter and Softer screenplay that got the thumbs-up from new director Joel Schumacher, he left the franchise and was replaced by Val Kilmer. Nowadays, in the wake of other actors leaving their mark on the Dark Knight's legacy, Keaton is still very fondly remembered as one of the best to inherit the role, with fans even going as far as to hope for a live-action film adaptation of Batman Beyond with Keaton as the elder Bruce Wayne.
He's also dabbled in directing, with his first film The Merry Gentleman appearing at the Sundance Festival in 2008, and he's done a few small other things since then; including being the executive producer for the films The Last Time – in which he also starred – and Body Shots, as well as performing the songs "Don't Lose Your Faith" (which he also wrote the lyrics to) and "Frosty The Snowman" from the soundtrack for Jack Frost.
With no signs of retiring any time soon, Keaton is keeping his roles diverse by alternating between comedy and drama, and he lent his vocal talents to a Ken doll in Toy Story 3.
He made a major comeback with the critically acclaimed Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), with many people calling it the best movie of 2014. In fact, it was nominated for nine Oscars – including Keaton for Best Actor – and won over a hundred awards, including the Best Picture Oscar. He cemented his comeback with a leading role in Spotlight the following year, which also won the Best Picture Oscar. He returned to the world of comic book movies in 2017 by playing yet another birdman – the Vulture – in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
He has said that he would be interested in reprising his iconic role of Betelgeuse, as he maintains it's still his favorite role of all time; unfortunately, nothing more seems to have come of it, and the sequel was long trapped in Development Hell – until 2022, when it was announced that the film would begin production that year. That said, he did reprise his other best-known role — that of Tim Burton's Batman — in The Flash (2023), 30 years after he last wore the cape and cowl with suggestions that he could be playing the aforementioned role of elder Bruce Wayne in a film adaptation of Batman Beyond as well. However, with the Continuity Reboot on track, it's very uncertain.
Notable roles:
- Howard in A Different Approach (1978)
- Bill Blazejowski in Night Shift (1982)
- Jack in Mr. Mom (1983)
- Johnny Kelly/Johnny Dangerously in Johnny Dangerously (1984)
- Hunt Stevenson in Gung Ho (1986)
- Betelgeuse in Beetlejuice (1988)
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
- Daryl Poynter in Clean And Sober (1988)
- Billy Caufield in The Dream Team (1989)
- Bruce Wayne / Batman:
- Batman film series
- Batman (1989)
- Batman Returns (1992)
- DC Extended Universe
- The Flash (2023)
- Batman film series
- Carter Hayes in Pacific Heights (1990)
- Artie Lewis in One Good Cop (1991)
- Porco in Disney's English-language dub of Porco Rosso (Original released in 1992, although not dubbed until later)
- Bob Jones in My Life (1993)
- Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
- Henry Hackett in The Paper (1994)
- Kevin Vallick in Speechless (1994)
- Doug Kinney and his clones in Multiplicity (1996)
- Ray Nicolette in Jackie Brown (1997)
- Ray Nicolette in Out of Sight (1998)
- Peter McGabe in Desperate Measures (1998)
- Jack Frost in Jack Frost (1998)
- Blaine Sternin in an episode of Frasier in 2002.
- Chick Hicks in Cars (2006)
- Frank Logan in The Merry Gentleman (2008)
- Police chief Mauch in The Other Guys (2010)
- Ken in Toy Story 3 (2010)
- Raymond Sellars in RoboCop (2014)
- Monarch in Need for Speed (2014)
- Riggan Thomson/Birdman in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
- Walter 'Robby' Robinson in Spotlight (2015)
- Ray Kroc in The Founder (2016)
- Marvel Cinematic Universe and Sony's Spider-Man Universe (2017 — present) as Adrian Toomes / The Vulture:
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Morbius (2022)
- V. A. Vandemere in Dumbo (2019)
- Dr. Finnix in Dopesick (2021)
Tropes associated with his roles
- Actor Allusion: In Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) he played an actor who was famous for playing a winged-animal-themed superhero, alluding to his role as Batman (1989); then in Spider-Man: Homecoming he played another bird-themed comic book character, this time a villain.
- Cool Old Guy: Even in his 70s, he's still a versatile actor, and proved to be a credible villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
- Creator Backlash: He hates his attempt at stand-up comedy.
- Creator's Favorite: He has repeatedly said that Beetlejuice was his favorite role in his entire career. It's no wonder he jumped at the chance to return to the character 36 years later for the sequel.
- What Could Have Been: According to an interview he gave on The Late Show, before he settled on "Keaton" as his stage surname he considered riffing off a family nickname and becoming "Michael Jackson".
