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
Night Shift as a morgue-attendant-turned-pimp put him on Hollywood's up-and-coming list. Although subsequent projects failed properly to showcase his quirkiness and manic energy, he 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, which marked his first collaboration with the director. The next year, Burton cast Keaton in the unlikely title role of
Batman, but Keaton was surprisingly convincing as the brooding caped crusader and reprised the role in the sequel,
Batman Returns. But in the '90s he seemed to lose his way. Perhaps attempting to prove his versatility, Keaton went from fearsome (
Pacific Heights) to father with a fatal disease (
My Life) to frenetic family man (
Multiplicity), but the films were B-grade at best. He also stumbled personally, when his long-term relationship with Courteney Cox ended on less-than-friendly terms. By the '00s, his 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. But on the big screen, the former superhero was relegated to playing dad in fluffy fare, such as
First Daughter and
Herby: Fully Loaded.
Michael Keaton Fast Facts:
- Studied speech at Kent State University before dropping out.
- Worked at WQED, Pittsburgh's PBS station, as a stagehand on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1972-74; in 2003 he hosted and coexecutive produced the Emmy-nominated special Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor.
- 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, Keaton, from actress Diane Keaton.
- Michael Keaton Relationships:
- Caroline McWilliams - Ex-wife
- Courteney Cox - Ex-significant Other
- Diane - Sister
- George Douglas - Father
- George Douglas Jr. - Brother
- Joyce - Sister
- Leona Douglas - Mother
- Pamela - Sister
- Paul Douglas - Brother
- Robert Douglas - Brother
- Sean Keaton - Son
- Michael Keaton Awards:
- 2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Non-Fiction Special - Nominee
- College:
- Attended Kent State University, Kent, OH
