Michael Keaton.

Michael Keaton was born Michael John Douglas on September 5, 1951 in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, the youngest of seven children. His father was a civil engineer and surveyor, his mother a homemaker. He is of Irish, English, Scottish, and German descent. Keaton attended Montour High School and studied speech for two years at Kent State University before dropping out. At age 21, he worked on a Navajo reservation, then moved to Pittsburgh. After an unsuccessful stand-up comedy attempt, he worked as a TV cameraman. He first appeared on television operating Picture, Picture on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Keaton’s breakthrough role came in 1982 as Bill Blazejowski in Night Shift, directed by Ron Howard. He followed with comedic leads in Mr. Mom 1983, Johnny Dangerously 1984, and Gung Ho 1986. In 1988, he played the ghostly Betelgeuse in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. Keaton was cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Burton’s Batman 1989 amid intense fan backlash, but his performance won over critics and audiences, making the film a massive success. He reprised the role in Batman Returns 1992. During the 1990s, he took on diverse roles: a psychotic tenant in Pacific Heights 1990, a cop in One Good Cop 1991, a Shakespearean in Much Ado About Nothing 1993, and a journalist in The Paper 1994. He also played Agent Ray Nicolette in both Jackie Brown 1997 and Out of Sight 1998. After a quieter 2000s, Keaton resurged with Birdman 2014, earning a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination, and followed with Spotlight 2015 and The Founder 2016.

Keaton was married to Caroline McWilliams from 1982 to 1990; they have one son, Sean Douglas born 1983, a musician. He was in a relationship with Courteney Cox from 1989 to 1995. Keaton owns a home in Pacific Palisades, California, and ranches in Santa Barbara and Montana. On his 1,000-acre Montana ranch, he grows hay and raises cattle. He enjoys fly-fishing, snowboarding, golf, mountain biking, and horseback riding. He is a visiting scholar at Carnegie Mellon University.

Keaton’s portrayal of Batman in 1989 redefined the superhero genre, proving that a comedic actor could embody a dark, complex character. His performance in Birdman 2014 was widely acclaimed as a career-defining comeback, earning him the Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Keaton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016 and was appointed Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by France. He is remembered for his versatility, shifting from the manic energy of Beetlejuice to the brooding intensity of Batman to the self-aware vulnerability of Birdman.