Keaton first appeared on TV in the Pittsburgh public television programsWhere the Heart Is andMister Rogers' Neighborhood (1975). For Mister Rogers he played one of the "Flying Zucchini Brothers"[18] and served as a full-time production assistant.[19] (In 2003, afterFred Rogers' death, Keaton hosted aPBS memorial tribute,Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor;[20] in 2018, he hosted a 50th anniversary special of the series for PBS,Mister Rogers: It's You I Like.[21]) Keaton also worked as an actor inPittsburgh theatre; he played the role of Rick in the Pittsburgh premiere ofDavid Rabe'sSticks and Bones with the Pittsburgh Poor Players.[22] He also performed stand-up comedy during his early years to supplement his income.[23]
Keaton left Pittsburgh and moved to Los Angeles to begin auditioning for various TV parts. He popped up in various popular TV shows includingMaude andThe Mary Tyler Moore Hour. He decided to use a stage name to satisfySAG rules, as there were already an actor (Michael Douglas) and daytime host (Mike Douglas) with the same or similar names. In response to questions as to whether he selected his new surname due to an attraction to actressDiane Keaton, or inhomage to silent film actorBuster Keaton, he has responded by saying "it had nothing to do with that".[24][25] Keaton searched aphone book under "K", saw "Keaton" and decided to stop looking.[26][27]
Keaton's film debut came in a small non-speaking role in theJoan Rivers filmRabbit Test (1978).[28] His next big break was working alongsideJim Belushi in the short-lived comedy seriesWorking Stiffs, which showcased his comedic talent and led to a co-starring role in the comedyNight Shift (1982) directed byRon Howard. This was his breakout role as the fast-talking schemer Bill "Billy Blaze" Blazejowski and earned Keaton some critical acclaim.[29]
Night Shift led to Keaton becoming a leading man in the 1983 comedy hitMr. Mom. Keaton was pigeonholed as a comic lead during this time with films likeJohnny Dangerously (1984),Gung Ho (1986),The Squeeze (1987), andThe Dream Team (1989), though Keaton tried to transition to dramatic leads as early as 1984, playing a hockey player inTouch and Go, which was shelved until 1986.Woody Allen cast Keaton as the lead inThe Purple Rose of Cairo the following year, but after filming began Allen felt Keaton was "too modern" and reshot his scenes withJeff Daniels in the final film, further delaying his transition to drama in the public eye.[30] WhenTouch and Go was finally released in 1986 the studio was still unsure of how to market the film, making the poster, trailer and TV spots similar toMr. Mom, which resulted in the film not finding its target audience.
1988 was a seminal year in Keaton's career, in which he landed two major unconventional roles, forever changing his image to audiences. He played the title character inTim Burton's horror-comedyBeetlejuice, earning Keaton widespread acclaim and boosting him to Hollywood's A list. That same year, he also gave an acclaimed dramatic performance as a drug-addicted realtor inGlenn Gordon Caron'sClean and Sober.[31]
Keaton's career was given another major boost when he was again cast by Tim Burton, this time as the titlecomic book superhero of the 1989 filmBatman.[32][33]Warner Bros. received thousands of written complaints from fans who believed Keaton was the wrong choice to portray Batman.[34] However, Keaton's performance in the role ultimately earned widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences,[35] andBatman became one of 1989's most successful films.[36]
According toLes Daniels's reference bookBatman: The Complete History, Keaton initially believed the film would be similar in tone to the1960s TV series starringAdam West. However, after readingFrank Miller's comic book miniseriesThe Dark Knight Returns, he understood the darker, more brooding side of Batman that Burton's adaptation was going for, which he portrayed to much fan approval.[37] Keaton later reprised the role for the sequelBatman Returns (1992), which was another critically acclaimed success.[38] 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 theA&EBiography 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 byVal Kilmer inBatman Forever (1995).[39]
In the early 2000s, Keaton appeared in several films with mixed success, includingLive From Baghdad (2002, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award[41]),First Daughter (2004, playing the President of the United States),White Noise (2005) andHerbie: Fully Loaded (2005). While he continued to receive good notices from the critics (particularly forJackie Brown), he was not able to re-approach the box-office success ofBatman until the release ofDisney/Pixar'sCars (2006), in which he voicedChick Hicks, a green race car with a mustache, who frequently loses his patience with losing to his longtime rival, Strip Weathers, a.k.a. The King, voiced byRichard Petty. On New Year's Day of 2004, he hosted thePBS TV specialMr. Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor. It was released by Triumph MarketingLLC on DVD September 28, 2004. In 2006, he starred inGame 6, about the1986 World Series bid by theBoston Red Sox. He had a cameo in theTenacious D short filmTime Fixers, aniTunes exclusive. The 9-minute film was released to coincide withTenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.[42] Keaton reportedly was cast asJack Shephard in the seriesLost, 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 actorMatthew Fox. The show ran for six seasons, with the Shephard role continuing throughout.[43]
Keaton starred in the 2007 TV miniseriesThe Company, set during theCold War, in which he portrayed the real-life CIAcounterintelligence chiefJames 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.[44] Keaton provided the voice ofKen inToy 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.[45] He played Captain Gene Mauch in the comedyThe Other Guys (2010).
In 2014 he played the OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars in theRoboCop remake as a more active antagonist, taking RoboCop's wife and child hostage, forcingJoel Kinnaman's character to struggle to overcome the 4th directive.[46]
In 2023, Keaton reprised his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne, after last playing the role in 1992, in theDC Extended Universe superhero filmThe Flash.[59][60][61] He filmed scenes to reprise the character inBatgirl starringLeslie Grace, set for a release onHBO Max,[62] taking some inspiration from the acclaimedDC Animated Universe animated seriesBatman Beyond with Keaton playing the elder Bruce Wayne as the title character's mentor and remote coordinator in the Batcave,[63] only for the film's release to be cancelled in August 2022.[64] Keaton stated that he did not care about that decision because he had made money making the film, though he said he felt badly for the film's directors.[65] He also reprised the character in the 2023 filmAquaman and the Lost Kingdom, in an ultimatelydeleted scene.[66] Keaton also starred in and directed the 2023 noir thrillerKnox Goes Away.[67]
In 2024, Keaton reprised his role as Beetlejuice forBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.[68][69][70] Keaton next starred inGoodrich, a film about a man whose second wife suddenly leaves him, forcing him to take sole care of their nine-year-old twins. Directed byHallie Meyers-Shyer, filming was set to commence in October 2019,[71][72] but after a delay ultimately began in April 2023.
On April 16, 2025, it was reported that Keaton would be joining the cast of theNetflix andAGBO adaptation of the Alex North novelThe Whisper Man.[73]
Keaton was married toCaroline McWilliams from 1982 to 1990. They have a son,Sean, born in 1983.[74] Through their son, Keaton and McWilliams have two grandchildren.[75] Keaton had a relationship with actressCourteney Cox from 1990 to 1995.[76] He has been in a relationship with Marni Turner since 2016.[77]
Keaton, a longtimePittsburgh resident and fan of its sports teams, negotiated a break in hisBatman movie contract in case thePittsburgh Pirates made the playoffs that year, although they ultimately did not. Keaton did, however, take time off from filming the sequelBatman Returns in order to return to Pittsburgh to support thePittsburgh Penguins in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals. Keaton has been seen regularly at Penguins home playoff games. Keaton also often attendsPittsburgh Steelers games and, during the2005 AFC Championship Game, he wandered onto the camera frame of theKDKA pregame coverage, surprising reporterJohn Steigerwald. He also wrote anESPN blog on the Pirates during the final months of their 2013 season.[78]
In 2019, he appeared in aPETA ad campaign, asking tourists not to visit operations that exploit animals, such as roadside zoos which sometimes offer the opportunity to get selfies with wild animals.[85]
^"Michael Keaton directs 1st film". Jam.canoe.ca. January 25, 2008. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. RetrievedApril 5, 2015.'I'm half-Irish so I can definitely talk,' he says.
^"20 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Michael Keaton". www.eightieskids.com. August 23, 2019. RetrievedApril 17, 2020.Keaton's mother was originally from Ireland, and was a devout Catholic...However, Keaton's father was a Protestant, so the children had the choice over which religion to follow.
^Blank, Ed (August 15, 1985)."'Gung Ho' crew kicks up dust in Duquesne".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived fromthe original on March 2, 2015. RetrievedJanuary 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.
^Holsopple, Barbara (June 19, 1979)."Michael Keaton off to fast start in 'working stiffs'".The Pittsburgh Press. Archived fromthe original on February 13, 2015. RetrievedJanuary 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.
^Michael Keaton's Real Name Was Taken By Another Movie Star, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, uploaded June 27, 2017 (LSSC YouTube channel) <Quote> Keaton: "I don't know. I was in the K's in the alphabet. You know, in the Union you've got... I thought somebody..." Colbert (interrupting): "Did you really? It wasn't like Buster Keaton or anything like that... Keaton: "No, no, no, however..." Colbert: "Diane Keaton?" Keaton: "However, now I'm not just saying this. I'm a huge fan of both, truly. But, no, it had nothing to do with that. I was in the K's in the alphabet. I thought, 'It's close enough'. How 'bout this. How 'bout this. Phew. (Wipes brow) One of those moments."
^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;ISBN0-684-80931-1.
^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;ISBN978-0-8264-1566-0. pp. 121–156.
.jpg)
.jpg)
