Early life

Keaton, the youngest of seven children, was born in Forest Grove, 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. His mother was of Irish descent, and his father was of English, Scottish, Scots-Irish, and German ancestry. He attended Montour High School in Pennsylvania. Keaton studied speech for two years at Kent State, before dropping out and moving to Pittsburgh.

Career

1975-1988

An unsuccessful attempt at stand-up comedy led Keaton to working as a member of the Production Crew at public television station WQED (TV) in Pittsburgh. Keaton first appeared on TV in Pittsburgh public television programs, including Where the Heart Is and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1975), as one of the "Flying Zookeeni Brothers." He also served as a full-time production assistant on the show. In 2004, following Fred Rogers' death, Keaton hosted a PBS memorial tribute program, Fred Rogers: America'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.

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 a stage name 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's film debut came in a small non-speaking role in Joan Rivers film Rabbit Test.

His next 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 earned Keaton some critical acclaim, and he scored leads in the subsequent comedy hits Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously and Gung Ho.

He played 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 like most of the cast. 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.

1989-1999

Keaton's career was given another major boost when he was again cast by Tim Burton, this time as the title comic book superhero of 1989's Batman. Burton cast him because he thought that Keaton was the only actor who could portray someone who has the kind of darkly obsessive personality that the character demands. 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. However, Keaton's dramatic performance earned widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike, and Batman became one of the most successful films of the year.

According to Les Daniels's 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 miniseries, The Dark Knight Returns, that Keaton really understood the dark and brooding side of Batman that he portrayed to much fan approval. Keaton later reprised the role for the sequel Batman Returns (1992), which was another critically acclaimed success, though also controversial for being both darker and more violent than the previous film. He was initially set to reprise the role again for a third 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 as well. He was reportedly dissatisfied with the screenplay approved by the new director, Joel Schumacher, which Keaton considered to be too lighthearted 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 million, but Keaton steadfastly refused. He was subsequently replaced by Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995).

Keaton remained active 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 and twice in the same role, Elmore Leonard character Agent Ray Nicolette, in Jackie Brown and Out of Sight. 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 and Christopher Reeve (who, like Keaton, had also previously portrayed a famous DC Comics superhero on film: Superman).

2000-present

In the early 2000s, Keaton 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 Chick Hicks. On New Year's 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 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 miniseries 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 film 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 supporting role of Captain Gene Mauch in the comedy The Other Guys.

Keaton starred alongside Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts in Birdman (2014), a comedy helmed by 21 Grams and Biutiful director Alejandro González Iñárritu. In the film, Keaton plays Riggan Thomson, a screen actor, famous for playing the iconic titular superhero, who puts on a Broadway play based on a Raymond Carver short story, to regain his former glory. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his portrayal of Thomson and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Personal life

Keaton was married to actress Caroline McWilliams from 1982 until 1990. They have one son, Sean Maxwell Douglas. He also had a relationship with actress Courteney Cox from 1989 to 1995.

Keaton, a long-time Pittsburgh resident, is a big Pittsburgh Pirates fan and negotiated a break in his Batman movie contract in case the Pirates made the playoffs that year. He also wrote an ESPN blog on the Pirates during the final months of their 2013 season, in which the Pirates made the playoffs for the first time since 1992. He is also often seen at Pittsburgh Penguins games and is a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

In the 1980s, Keaton bought a ranch near Big Timber, Montana, on which he spends most of his time. An avid fisherman, Keaton can often be seen on the saltwater fishing series Buccaneers & Bones on Outdoor Channel, along with Lefty Kreh, Tom Brokaw, Zach Gilford, Thomas McGuane and Yvon Chouinard.

Keaton is a Democrat. He endorsed President Barack Obama for re-election in 2012 and Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination in 2016.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1978	Rabbit Test	Sailor
1978	A Different Approach	Filmmaker	Short
1982	Night Shift	Bill Blazejowski
1983	Mr. Mom	Jack Butler
1984	Johnny Dangerously	Johnny Kelly / Johnny Dangerously
1986	Gung Ho	Hunt Stevenson
1986	Touch and Go	Robert "Bobby" Barbato
1987	The Squeeze	Harold "Harry" Berg
1988	She's Having a Baby	Himself	Cameo Uncredited
1988	Beetlejuice	"Betelgeuse" (Beetlejuice)
1988	Clean and Sober	Daryl Poynter
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
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 / "Two" / "Three" / "Four"
1997	Inventing the Abbotts	Narrator/Older Doug	Uncredited
1997	Jackie Brown	Raymond "Ray" Nicolette
1998	Desperate Measures	Peter J. McCabe
1998	Out of Sight	Raymond "Ray" Nicolette
1998	Jack Frost	Jack Frost
2000	A Shot at Glory	Peter Cameron
2003	Porco Rosso	Porco Rosso (voice)	English dub
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	Voice
2006	The Last Time	Ted "Theodore"	Also executive producer
2009	The Merry Gentleman	Franklin "Frank" Logan	Also director
2009	Post Grad	Walter Malby
2010	Toy Story 3	Ken	Voice
2010	The Other Guys	Captain Gene Mauch
2011	Hawaiian Vacation	Ken (voice)	Short
2012	Noah's Ark: The New Beginning	Noah	Voice
2013	Penthouse North	Hollander	Also executive producer
2014	RoboCop	Raymond Sellars
2014	Need for Speed	Monarch
2014	Birdman	Riggan Thomson
2015	Minions	Walter Nelson	Voice
2015	Spotlight	Walter "Robby" Robinson
2016	The Founder	Ray Kroc	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	Mister Rogers' Neighborhood	Volunteer	Episode: "1,435"
1976-1977	All's Fair	Lannie Wolf	5 episodes
1977	Klein Time	Various Characters	TV movie
1977	Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman	The Robber	Episode: "2.90"
1977	Maude	Chip Winston	Episode: "Arthur's Crisis"
1978	The Tony Randall Show	Zeke	2 episodes
1978	Mary	Various Characters	3 episodes
1978	Family	Tree salesman	Episode: "Gifts"
1979	Working Stiffs	Mike O'Rourke	9 episodes
1979	The Mary Tyler Moore Hour	Kenneth Christy	11 episodes
1982	Report To Murphy	Murphy	6 episodes
1982, 1992, 2015	Saturday Night Live	Himself (host)	3 episodes
1990	The Earth Day Special	Charles McIntyre	TV special
2001	The Simpsons	Jack Crowley (voice)	Episode: "Pokey Mom"
2002	Frasier	Blaine Sternin	Episode: "Wheels of Fortune"
2002	Live from Baghdad	Robert Wiener	TV movie
2003	King of the Hill	Trip Larsen (voice)	Episode: "Pigmalion"
2003	Gary the Rat	Jerry Andrews (voice)	Episode: "Catch Me If You Can"
2004	Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor	Himself (host)	TV special
2007	The Company	James Angleton	TV miniseries
2011	30 Rock	Tom	Episode: "100"
2013	Clear History	Joe Stumpo	TV movie

Video games

Video games

Year	Title	Voice role
2006	Cars	Chick Hicks
2009	Cars Race-O-Rama
2012	Call of Duty: Black Ops II	Jason Hudson

Awards and nominations

• List of awards and nominations received by Michael Keaton

Charities

Michael Keaton supports the following charitable causes: Teens, Cancer, Environment.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]