Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton
Keaton in July 2013
Born Michael John Douglas
(1951-09-05) September 5, 1951
Robinson Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Residence Big Timber, Montana
Nationality American
Education Montour High School
Alma mater Kent State University
Occupation Actor, producer, director
Years active 1975–present
Spouse(s)
Caroline McWilliams
(m. 1982; div. 1990)
Partner(s) Courteney Cox (1989-1995)
Children Sean Douglas
Parent(s) George A. Douglas (father)
Leona Loftus (mother)

Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor, producer, and director. He first rose to fame for his roles on the CBS sitcoms All's Fair and The Mary Tyler Moore Hour and his comedic film roles in Night Shift (1982), Mr. Mom (1983), Johnny Dangerously (1984), and Beetlejuice (1988). He earned further acclaim for his dramatic portrayal of the title character in Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). He is also known for playing The Vulture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).

Since then, he has appeared in a variety of films ranging from dramas and romantic comedies to thriller and action films, such as Clean and Sober (1988), The Dream Team (1989), Pacific Heights (1990), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), My Life (1993), The Paper (1994), Multiplicity (1996), Jackie Brown (1997), Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), The Other Guys (2010), Robocop (2014), Need for Speed (2014), Spotlight (2015), The Founder (2016), and has also provided voices for characters in animated films such as Cars (2006), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Minions (2015).

Keaton's lead performance in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, the Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor and Best Actor in a Comedy, and nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award, British Academy Film Award, and Academy Award for Best Actor. He previously received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in Live from Baghdad (2002) and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for The Company (2007). Keaton was awarded a Career Achievement Award from the Hollywood Film Festival.[1]

On January 18, 2016, he was named Officer of Order of Arts and Letters in France.[2] He is also a visiting scholar at Carnegie Mellon University.[3]

Early life

Michael John Douglas, the youngest of seven children, was born in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, on September 5, 1951.[4] He was raised between Coraopolis and Forest Grove, Pennsylvania.[5] 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.[4][6] Keaton was raised in a Roman Catholic family,[7] and is of half Irish descent through his mother.[7][8][9] His father was of English, German, Scottish and Scotch-Irish descent and was originally from a Protestant family.[10][11] He attended Montour High School in Robinson Township, Pennsylvania,[12] and studied speech for two years at Kent State University, where he appeared in plays, before dropping out and returning to Pennsylvania.[13]

Career

1975–1988

Keaton first appeared on TV in the Pittsburgh public television programs Where the Heart Is and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1975). For Mister Rogers he played one of the "Flying Zookeeni Brothers"[14] and served as a full-time production assistant. [15] (In 2004, after Fred Rogers' death, Keaton hosted a PBS memorial tribute, 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.[16] He also performed stand-up comedy during his early years in order to supplement his income.[17]

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. He decided to use a stage name to satisfy SAG rules, as there was already an actor (Michael Douglas) and daytime host (Mike Douglas) with the same or similar names. The claim that Keaton selected his new surname due to an attraction to actress Diane Keaton is incorrect.[18] Keaton's film debut came in a small non-speaking role in the Joan Rivers film Rabbit Test.

His next break was working alongside Jim 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, earning Keaton widespread acclaim and boosting him to Hollywood'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 realtor in Clean and Sober.

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.[19][20] Warner Bros. received thousands of letters of complaint by fans who believed Keaton was the wrong choice to portray Batman.[21] However, Keaton's performance in the role ultimately earned widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences,[22] and Batman became one of the most successful films of that year.[23]

According to Les Daniels's reference book Batman: The Complete History, Keaton was not 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.[24] Keaton later reprised the role for the sequel Batman Returns (1992), which was another critically acclaimed success.[25] 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. 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 and was replaced by Val Kilmer in Batman Forever (1995).[26]

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 starred in The Paper and Multiplicity, and twice in the same role, that of Elmore Leonard character Agent Ray Nicolette, in the films Jackie Brown and Out of Sight. He made the family holiday movie Jack Frost and the thriller Desperate Measures. Keaton starred as a political candidate's speechwriter in 1994's Speechless.

2000–2014

Keaton at the 2004 Dallas Comic Con

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, 2004. In 2006, he starred in Game 6, about the 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 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 Shephard role continuing throughout.[27]

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 Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries.[28] 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.[29] He announced in June 2010 his interest in returning for a Beetlejuice sequel.[30] He played Captain Gene Mauch in the comedy The Other Guys. In 2014 he played the OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars in the RoboCop remake as a more active antagonist, taking Robocop's wife and child hostage making Joel Kinnaman's character struggle to overcome the 4th directive.

2014–present

Keaton starred alongside Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), playing 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.[31] 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.[32] In 2015, Keaton appeared as Walter V. Robinson in the film Spotlight, and in 2016, he starred as businessman Ray Kroc in the biopic The Founder. On July 28, 2016, Keaton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6931 Hollywood Boulevard.[33][34]

In 2017, Keaton played the supervillain The Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Stan Hurley in American Assassin.[35][36] He is also set to portray the villain in Disney's live-action adaptation of Dumbo, co-starring with Colin Farrell and Eva Green.[37] In 2018, it was reported that Keaton would reprise his role as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture in Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Personal life

Keaton was married to Caroline McWilliams from 1982 to 1990, a marriage which produced one son, Sean in 1983. He had a relationship with actress Courteney Cox from 1989-95. Keaton, a longtime Pittsburgh resident and fan of its sports teams, negotiated a break in his Batman movie contract in case the Pirates made the playoffs that year, although they ultimately did not. He also wrote an ESPN blog on the Pirates during the final months of their 2013 season.[38]

In the 1980s, Keaton bought a ranch near Big Timber, Montana, where he spends much of his time.[39] An avid fisherman, he is often seen on the saltwater fishing series Buccaneers & Bones on Outdoor Channel, along with Tom Brokaw, Zach Gilford, Thomas McGuane and Yvon Chouinard, among others.[40]

Keaton endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for President in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[41]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1978 Rabbit Test Sailor
A Different Approach Filmmaker Short film
1982 Night Shift Bill Blazejowski
1983 Mr. Mom Jack Butler
1984 Johnny Dangerously Johnny Kelly / Johnny Dangerously
1986 Gung Ho Hunt Stevenson Australian title: Working Class Man
Touch and Go Robert "Bobby" Barbato
1987 The Squeeze Harold "Harry" Berg
1988 She's Having a Baby Himself Uncredited cameo
Beetlejuice Betelgeuse National Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Actor
Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
Clean and Sober Daryl Poynter
1989 The Dream Team William "Billy" Caufield
Batman Bruce Wayne / Batman
1990 Pacific Heights Carter Hayes / James Danforth
1991 One Good Cop Arthur "Artie" Lewis
1992 Batman Returns Bruce Wayne / Batman
1993 Much Ado About Nothing Dogberry
My Life Robert "Bob" Jones
1994 The Paper Henry Hackett
Speechless Kevin Vallick
1996 Multiplicity Doug Kinney
1997 Inventing the Abbotts Narrator / Older Doug Uncredited
Jackie Brown Raymond "Ray" Nicolette
1998 Desperate Measures Peter J. McCabe
Out of Sight Raymond "Ray" Nicolette Uncredited
Jack Frost Jack Frost
1999 Body Shots Executive producer
2002 A Shot at Glory Peter Cameron
2004 Quicksand Martin Raikes
First Daughter President Mackenzie
2005 White Noise Jonathan Rivers
Porco Rosso Porco Rosso English dub
Herbie: Fully Loaded Raymond "Ray" Peyton, Sr.
2006 Game 6 Nicholas "Nicky" Rogan
Cars Chick Hicks Voice
2007 The Last Time Ted Riker Also executive producer
2009 The Merry Gentleman Franklin "Frank" Logan Also director
Post Grad Walter Malby
2010 Toy Story 3 Ken Voice
The Other Guys Captain Gene Mauch
2011 Hawaiian Vacation Ken Voice
Short film
2012 Noah's Ark: The New Beginning Noah Voice
2014 Blindsided Hollander Also executive producer
RoboCop Raymond Sellars
Need for Speed Monarch
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Riggan Thomson AACTA International Award for Best Actor
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Actor
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor in a Comedy
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Gold Derby Award for Best Actor
Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actor
Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead
International Online Film Critics' Poll Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actor of the Year
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated — Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated — San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Nominated — St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated — Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated — MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (with Edward Norton)
2015 Minions Walter Nelson Voice
Spotlight Walter "Robby" Robinson Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2016 The Founder Ray Kroc
2017 Spider-Man: Homecoming Adrian Toomes / Vulture Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
American Assassin Stan Hurley
2019 Dumbo V.A. Vandemere Filming
Toy Story 4 Ken Voice; in production
Spider-Man: Far From Home Adrian Toomes / Vulture Filming[42]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1975 Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Volunteer Episode #1435
1976–1977 All's Fair Lannie Wolf 5 episodes
1977 Klein Time Various characters Television film
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 Kraft Salutes Walt Disney World's 10th Anniversary[43] Kevin Television special
1982, 1992
2015
Saturday Night Live Himself (host) 3 episodes
1990 The Earth Day Special Charles McIntyre Television special
2001 The Simpsons Jack Crowley (voice) Episode: "Pokey Mom"
2002 Frasier Blaine Sternin Episode: "Wheels of Fortune"
2002 Live from Baghdad Robert Wiener Television film
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) Television special
2007 The Company James Angleton 3 episodes
2011 30 Rock Tom Episode: "100"
2013 Clear History Joe Stumpo Television film

Video games

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

Honorary degrees

Awards and nominations

References

  1. Waxman, Sharon (November 16, 2014). "Hollywood Film Awards: Slowly Killing the Golden Goose". TheWrap.com. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  2. "Michael Keaton Gets France's Order of Arts and Letters Honor". Variety. January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  3. Kelly, Saavedra (January 12, 2015). "Actor Michael Keaton Discusses His New Role at the ETC". The Piper. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Michael Keaton profile". Filmreference.com. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  5. "How I Got Here Podcast - Michael Keaton: Part One". PodcastOne.com. May 30, 2017.
  6. Vancheri, Barbara (November 13, 2002). "Obituary: Leona Douglas". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
  7. 1 2 Fulton, Rick (June 11, 2010). "Michael Keaton: I dropped my phone in surprise when I was offered the role of Barbie's Ken in Toy Story 3". Daily Record. Scotland. Retrieved September 19, 2010. Being brought up in a large Catholic family as the youngest...
  8. "Michael Keaton directs 1st film". Jam.canoe.ca. January 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2015. 'I'm half-Irish so I can definitely talk,' he says.
  9. "Film Review - Michael Keaton and his fall from grace - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  10. "Information about Keaton's paternal family". Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  11. "Michael Keaton: 'There was a lot of bad taste in the 90s and I contributed to that'". www.theguardian.com. September 9, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2018. 'My mom’s side of the family and my brothers and sisters are really funny – that’s the Irish Catholic side. My father’s side, the Scottish Protestant side? Not so much,' he says.
  12. Blank, Ed (August 15, 1985). "'Gung Ho' crew kicks up dust in Duquesne". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017. Part of larger section "Explore Michael Keaton's Pittsburgh roots" dated February 12, 2015. Scroll down for Blank's article. Additional on January 14, 2017. Scroll below WebCitation error messages for full text.
  13. Holsopple, Barbara (June 19, 1979). "Michael Keaton off to fast start in 'working stiffs'". The Pittsburgh Press. Archived from the original on January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017. Part of larger section "Explore Michael Keaton's Pittsburgh roots" dated February 12, 2015. Scroll down for Holsopple's article. Additional on January 14, 2017. Scroll below WebCitation error messages for full text.
  14. "Keaton offers advice to young actors", ABC.com. April 14, 2008.
  15. "15 reasons Mr. Rogers was best neighbor ever", CNN.com, July 28, 2008.
  16. Conner, Lynne (2007). Pittsburgh In Stages: Two Hundred Years of Theater. University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0822943303.
  17. https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/flashback-michael-keaton-tries-and-mostly-fails-to-do-stand-up-in-1980-174561/
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  19. "The Making of Batman". Empire. August 1989. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  20. Nancy Griffin; Kim Masters (1997). "Hit Men". Hit & Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony For A Ride In Hollywood. Simon & Schuster. pp. 158–174; ISBN 0-684-80931-1.
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  22. Alison McMahan (2005). "Burton's Batman: Myth, Marketing, and Merchandising." The Films of Tim Burton: Animating Live Action in Contemporary Hollywood. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale; ISBN 978-0-8264-1566-0. pp. 121–56.
  23. Staff (June 27, 1989). "Batman Sets Record And So Does Hollywood", The New York Times; retrieved October 26, 2008.
  24. Les Daniels (2000). Batman: The Complete History. Chronicle Books. pg. 164; ISBN 0-8118-2470-5.
  25. Salisbury, Burton, pp. 102-14
  26. "Batman 3". Entertainment Weekly. October 1, 1993. Retrieved August 16, 2008.
  27. ^ Jensen, Jeff (November 24, 2006). "When Stephen King met the 'Lost' boys". Ew.com. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  28. "The 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards". www.sagawards.org. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
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  32. "The 87th Academy Awards | 2015". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
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  34. "Michael Keaton receives his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame". Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  35. Hipes, Patrick (May 20, 2016). "Michael Keaton Joins 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' After All – Is He The Vulture?; 'Thor: Ragnarok' Beefs Up Cast". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 9, 2016. Michael Keaton, who in April was in early talks for a villainous role in the Sony-Marvel collaboration/reboot Spider-Man: Homecoming before falling out, is back in the mix again and we’ve been told his deal has closed.
  36. Daniell, Mark (November 2, 2016). "Marvel's Kevin Feige on 'Doctor Strange', replacing Downey and the blueprint for the MCU". Toronto Sun. Canada. Postmedia Network. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
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  38. Nightengale, Bob (July 28, 2011). "Pirates are talk of baseball with captivating run". USA Today.
  39. Foundas, Scott (October 16, 2014). "Interview: Michael Keaton Goes From Batman to 'Birdman'". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  40. "Buccaneers & Bones". Outdoorchannel.com. November 7, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  41. Smith, Emily (February 7, 2016). "Page Six: Michael Keaton feels the Bern". New York Post. Archived from the original on February 9, 2016. Michael Keaton is the latest Hollywood star to endorse Bernie Sanders.
  42. Stone, Sam (July 2, 2018). "First Spider-Man: Far From Home Set Photos Surface". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 3, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
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