Share on Facebook
His real name is Michael John Douglas but he is better known by his stage name Michael Keaton. Learn 50 facts about actor Michael Keaton.
1. His real name is Michael John Douglas but he is better known by his stage name Michael Keaton.
2. He is also a producer and director.
3. Keaton first rose to fame for his comedic film roles in Night Shift, Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously and Beetlejuice.
4. He earned further acclaim for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne in Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns.
5. He has appeared in a variety of films ranging from dramas and romantic comedies to thriller and action films.
6. He provided voices for characters in the Pixar films Cars and Toy Story 3, and Universal's Minions.
7. Keaton's critically praised lead performance in Birdman earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, the Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor.
8. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, British Academy Film Award and Academy Award for Best Actor.
9. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Live from Baghdad and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for The Company.
10. Keaton was awarded a Career Achievement Award from both the Hollywood Film Festival and Zurich Film Festivals.
11. Keaton is the youngest of seven children.
12. He was born in Forest Grove, in Robinson Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
13. His father, George A. Douglas, worked as a civil engineer and surveyor.
14. His mother, Leona Elizabeth was a homemaker.
15. His mother came from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
16. Keaton was raised in a Catholic family.
17. His mother was of Irish descent.
18. His father was of English, Scottish, Scotch-Irish, and German ancestry.
19. He attended Montour High School in Pennsylvania.
20. Keaton studied speech for two years at Kent State.
21. He dropped his speech study and moved to Pittsburgh.
22. An unsuccessful attempt at stand-up comedy led Keaton to working as a TV cameraman at public television station WQED (TV) in Pittsburgh.
23. Keaton first appeared on TV in Pittsburgh public television programs, including Where the Heart Is and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, as one of the "Flying Zookeeni Brothers."
24. He also served as a full-time production assistant on the TV show in Pittsburgh.
25. In 2004, following Fred Rogers' death, Keaton hosted a PBS memorial tribute program, Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor.
26. Keaton also worked as an actor in Pittsburgh theatre.
27. He played the role of Rick in the Pittsburgh premiere of David Rabe's Sticks and Bones with the Pittsburgh Poor Players.
28. Keaton left Pittsburgh and moved to Los Angeles to begin auditioning for various TV parts.
29. He popped up in various popular TV shows including Maude and The Mary Tyler Moore Hour.
30. Around the time he popped up in various popular TV shows Keaton decided to use a stage name to avoid confusion with well-known actor Michael Douglas and daytime host Mike Douglas, as well as to satisfy SAG rules.
31. The rumor that Keaton changed his surname because of an attraction to actress Diane Keaton is incorrect.
32. He chose Keaton because of an affinity for the physical comedy of Buster Keaton.
33. Keaton's film debut came in a small non-speaking role in Joan Rivers film Rabbit Test.
34. He played the title character in Tim Burton's 1988 horror-comedy Beetlejuice, which co-starred Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder, earned Keaton widespread acclaim and boosted him to movieland's A list.
35. He originally turned down the role in Beetlejuice, then reconsidered like most of the cast.
36. He now considers Beetlejuice his favorite of his own films.
37. He also gave an acclaimed dramatic performance as a drug-addicted businessman in Clean and Sober.
38. He also played the supporting role of Captain Gene Mauch in the comedy The Other Guys.
39. Keaton was married to actress Caroline McWilliams from 1982 until 1990.
40. They have one son, Sean Maxwell Douglas.
41. He also had a relationship with "Friends" actress Courteney Cox from 1989 to 1995.
42. Keaton, a long-time Pittsburgh resident, is a big Pittsburgh Pirates fan.
43. He negotiated a break in his Batman movie contract in case the Pirates made the playoffs that year.
44. He also wrote an ESPN blog on the Pirates during the final months of their 2013 season, in which the Pirates made the playoffs for the first time since 1992.
45. He is also often seen at Pittsburgh Penguins games.
46. He is a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
47. In the 1980s, Keaton bought a ranch near Big Timber, Montana.
48. He spends most of his time at his runch.
49. He is an avid fisherman.
50. Keaton can often be seen on the saltwater fishing series Buccaneers & Bones on Outdoor Channel, along with Lefty Kreh, Tom Brokaw, Zach Gilford, Thomas McGuane and Yvon Chouinard.
Source: Wikipedia.org
