With devilishly arched eyebrows used for both comic and sinister effect, Keaton did guest shots on a number of sitcoms before his hilarious turn in the big-screen comedy
Night Shift, as a morgue-attendant-turned-pimp, put him on Hollywood's up-and-coming list. Although subsequent projects failed to properly showcase his quirkiness and manic energy, Keaton broke through in 1988 with a pair of powerful, if antithetical, performances: a struggling addict in the drama
Clean and Sober and a ghoulish con artist from beyond in Tim Burton's
Beetlejuice. The next year, Burton cast the actor in the unlikely title role of
Batman, but Keaton was surprisingly convincing as the brooding caped crusader, and went on to star in the first sequel,
Batman Returns, three years later. The '90s proved less fortunate for Keaton's career. Perhaps attempting to prove his versatility, he went from fearsome (
Pacific Heights) to father with a fatal disease (
My Life) to frenetic family man (
Multiplicity), but the films were critical and commercial disappointments. He also stumbled personally, when his long-term relationship with Courteney Cox ended on less-than-friendly terms. By the '00s, Keaton's career had significantly slowed, but the veteran actor proved he was still a formidable presence with his Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of CNN producer Robert Wiener in the HBO Gulf War telepic
Live from Baghdad. On the big screen, the former superhero contented himself with family-friendly fare, playing the dad in light comedies like
First Daughter and
Herby: Fully Loaded, and voicing characters in Pixar's
Cars and
Toy Story 3.
Michael Keaton Fast Facts:
- Studied speech at Kent State University before dropping out.
- Worked as a stagehand on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood from 1972 to '74; later hosted and produced the Emmy-nominated special Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor (2003).
- Made his big-screen debut in the 1982 comedy Night Shift.
- Lent his voice to the Pixar animated films Cars (2006) and Toy Story 3 (2010).
- Was a member of the Flying Zucchini Brothers comedy troupe.
- Couldn't use his birth name, Michael Douglas, when he went into acting because of the famous actor of the same name; took his stage surname from actor Diane Keaton.
- Michael Keaton Relationships:
- Caroline McWilliams - Ex-wife
- Sean Keaton - Son
- Courteney Cox - Ex-significant Other
- Robert Douglas - Brother
- Leona Douglas - Mother
- Diane - Sister
- George Douglas - Father
- George Douglas Jr. - Brother
- Joyce - Sister
- Paul Douglas - Brother
- Pamela - Sister
- Michael Keaton Awards:
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Non-Fiction Special - Nominee
- 2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries - Nominee
- College:
- Attended Kent State University, Kent, OH