Michael Keaton is an American actor, producer and director. Best known for his role as the superhero Batman in two films directed by Tim Burton, he is also famous for his work in the films The Beatlejuice, Jackie Brown, Birdman, Spotlight and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Winner of the Golden Globe Award.
Childhood and youth
Michael Keaton was born on September 5, 1951 in Coraopolis, PA. Real name is Michael John Douglas. It has Irish, Scottish and German roots.
After graduating from high school, he entered the University of Kent, where he studied for two years. Actively participated in student theater productions. After his second year, he dropped out and moved to Pittsburgh.
Carier start
Michael Keaton in his youth worked on local television in Pittsburgh, where he not only appeared on the screen, but also worked as an assistant director. He also played on the stage of Pittsburgh theaters.
A few years later, the actor moved to Los Angeles, where he began auditions for various projects. Under the terms of the US Actors Guild, he had to choose a pseudonym for himself, since the organization already had another actor with the same name, the future star of the films "Wall Street" and "Basic Instinct".
Michael Keaton appeared in small roles in the television series Modi and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. In 1977, he received a regular role in the sitcom "All means are good," appeared in five episodes, but the series was closed by the channel after the first season.
The actor continued to appear in small roles in television films and series. In 1979, he got the main role in the sitcom "Mary Tyler Moore Show", which was also closed after the first season.
Comedic roles
Also in 1979, Michael Keaton got the lead role in another comedy series, Hard Workers, where he played character brother James Belushi. However, this series was a failure and was closed after showing only four episodes.
However, it was largely thanks to this work that the actor got a role in Ron Howard’s black comedy Night Shift. The film received excellent reviews from critics and performed well at the box office. After that, several successful comedy films starring Michael Keaton appeared on the screens.
In 1983, the actor played a major role in the comedy "Mr. Mommy," which collected more than sixty million dollars at the box office. Also in the next few years appeared in the films "Johnny Dangerous" and "Enthusiast", both of them were successful financially.
International success
1988 was the breakthrough year in Michael Keaton’s filmography. He starred in Tim Burton’s comedy horror Beatlejuice, which has grossed over seventy million dollars worldwide and received excellent reviews from critics.
Keaton also played his first notable dramatic role in the film "In a sober mind and solid memory." The film did not show itself well at the box office, but Michael received excellent marks for his work and, according to the results of the year, became the best actor according to the version of the National Council of Film Critics of the USA.
In 1989, the film was released by Tim Burton "Batman", the main role of the popular superhero was played by Michael Keaton. The actor was not the most obvious choice, many saw him only as a comedian. He himself initially believed that once he was invited to the project, it would be a comedy in the style of a series with Adam West as Batman.
According to legend, the studio received tens of thousands of letters from fans who protested against the director’s decision. However, after the film was released, Keaton received excellent reviews from critics and viewers, and the picture became one of the highest grossing films of the year.
Later, Michael again appeared in the role of Bruce Wayne in the sequel to the picture. He was supposed to play a major role in the third part, however, abandoned the project after Burton was replaced by Joel Schumacher as director. According to rumors, the studio was offering the actor fifteen million dollars for participating in the film.
In the wake of popularity, Michael Keaton also appeared in the thriller The Resident, the comedy Much Ado About Nothing, and the drama Newspaper. He also played the role of FBI agent Ray Nicoletto in Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown" based on the work of Elmore Leonard. After appeared in the role of the same character in another adaptation of Leonard, Steven Soderbergh's painting "Out of Sight".
Sunset popularity
In the following years, Michael Keaton took part in several unsuccessful projects, including the Christmas comedy Jack Frost, which became one of the main box office failures of 1998. He successfully worked on television, appearing in the television movie "From Baghdad Live" and the mini-series "Office".
The most successful projects in the new millennium for Keaton were the horror film "White Noise" and the animated films "Cars" and "Toy Story." The actor refused the main role in the TV series "Lost", which eventually became one of the most popular television projects of the zero years.
In 2008, Michael Keaton's directorial debut, The Merry Mister, was released on the screens, where he played a hit man in depression, but the project received mixed reviews from critics and viewers. In 2010, the actor appeared in a bright supporting role in the parody comedy "Cops in the Deep Reserve."
Return
2014 was a breakthrough in the career of Michael Keaton, at first he took part in two summer blockbusters, playing secondary, but very bright roles in the films "Robocop" and "Need for Speed". And then he played the main role in the drama directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu “Birdman”, playing an actor who was previously known as the superhero, and now his fame has faded.
The film received rave reviews from critics and won the Academy Award for Best Film. Michael Keaton was considered the main favorite for the statuette in the category "Best Actor", but unexpectedly for many lost to Briton Eddie Redmein.
However, this project somewhat revived the career of the actor. The following year, he played in the film "The Spotlight", which became the best film of the year according to the Academy of Film Academy. In 2016, Michael Keaton starred in the movie "Founder", playing the famous businessman Ray Crock.
In the same year, it became known that the actor will play in a new film about the superhero Spider-Man. Initially, it was kept secret what kind of character he would transfer to the screen, but after that there were photos of Michael Keaton from the set in the costume of the supervillain Vulture. The film received excellent reviews from critics and became a hit of the rental.
Future projects
In the near future, Michael will appear in the sequel to the picture "Spider-Man: Homecoming", and also play in the game adaptation of the famous cartoon "Dumbo".
Personal life
Not much is known about Michael Keaton’s personal life. He was married to actress Carolyn McWilliams from 1982 to 1990, from this marriage the actor has a son, Sean. He also met actress Courtney Cox, known for the sitcom Friends, from 1989 to 1995.