ACTOR
Michael Keaton
- Known for
- Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), Batman (1989), The Whisper Man (2026), Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
75 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Michael Keaton is an actor best known for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Batman and The Whisper Man.
All facts (75)
- #001
When Michael Keaton began acting, he decided to change his name because there was already a Michael Douglas in film and a Mike Douglas in broadcasting. Although he uses a stage name, he never legally changed his name to Michael Keaton.
- #002
Tim Burton cast Michael Keaton in the lead role of Batman (1989) because he believed Keaton was the only actor who could convincingly portray someone with the character's dark, obsessive personality. Fans reacted with outrage over the casting, and the studio was forced to release a teaser that demonstrated both that Keaton could handle the role well and that the film would not be a campy parody like the Batman (1966) series.
- #003
On July 28, 2016, Michael Keaton received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6931 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Filmmaker John Lee Hancock and Keaton's son Sean Douglas were the guest speakers at the ceremony.
- #004
In an interview, Michael Keaton named Mr. Mom (1983), Gung Ho (1986), Clean and Sober (1988), Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), The Paper (1994) and Live from Baghdad (2002) as his favorite films, with Beetlejuice (1988) being his most preferred.
- #005
Michael Keaton was originally set to play Dr. Jack Shephard on the television series Lost (2004), on the understanding that the character would be killed off early in the show. Keaton later had to leave the role after the creators decided not to kill off the doctor. Matthew Fox played the character.
- #006
Michael Keaton was 40 years old during the filming of Batman Returns (1992), making him the oldest actor to play Batman in a live-action film at that time. He was later surpassed by 41-year-old Ben Affleck, who took on the role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
- #007
Michael Keaton began his career as a stagehand on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1968), where he operated "Picture, Picture," and in 2004 he made a documentary about Rogers, Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor (2004).
- #008
Michael Keaton has a home in Pacific Palisades, California, as well as ranches in Santa Barbara, California and Montana. His 1,000-acre Montana ranch, where he grows hay and raises cattle, has a four-bedroom farmhouse built of cedar and stone.
- #009
During an appearance on Marc Maron's WTF Podcast, Michael Keaton stated that he had never watched the completed version of Batman Returns (1992). He explained that he took the role only because he needed money for a real estate deal.
- #010
Although Val Kilmer replaced him in Batman Forever (1995), Michael Keaton nearly reprised the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in Tim Burton's unproduced film "Superman Lives."
- #011
At the age of 21, Michael Keaton worked on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico.
- #012
Michael Keaton is the youngest of seven children. He has three brothers and three sisters.
- #013
Michael Keaton has worked with three generations of actresses: Melanie Griffith and her mother Tippi Hedren in Pacific Heights (1990), and Griffith's daughter Dakota Johnson in Need for Speed (2014).
- #014
Michael Keaton was considered for Johnny Depp's roles in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).
- #015
Michael Keaton played Agent Ray Nicolette in both Jackie Brown (1997) and Out of Sight (1998).
- #016
Michael Keaton was offered the roles of Peter Venkman or Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) but turned both down, and the roles went to Bill Murray and Harold Ramis respectively. He also turned down the roles of Alan and Freddie Bauer in Splash (1984), which went to Tom Hanks and John Candy respectively.
- #017
Michael Keaton was directed by Ron Howard in three films: Night Shift (1982), Gung Ho (1986) and The Paper (1994). The same is true of Tim Burton: Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992).
- #018
When Michael Keaton realized he had to change his name to join the union, he looked under the letter K for surnames and chose Keaton, thinking it was harmless. The notion that he took it from Diane Keaton is a misconception.
- #019
On January 18, 2016, Michael Keaton was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by French Minister of Culture Fleur Pellerin.
- #020
Michael Keaton is an avid news junkie and at one point considered a career in journalism. He has played a journalist in three films: The Paper (1994), Live from Baghdad (2002) and Spotlight (2015).
- #021
In the 1980s, Keaton bought a ranch near Big Timber, Montana, where he spent most of his time.
- #022
One of his favorite hobbies is fly fishing, a pastime he shared with his Night Shift (1982) co-star Henry Winkler.
- #023
When asked in an interview which historical figure he would like to play, Michael Keaton chose Hall of Fame baseball player Ted Williams.
- #024
Not only did Michael Keaton play Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's Batman films, he also appeared alongside three actors who went on to play mentor figures in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy: Michael Caine (Alfred) in Quicksand (2003); Gary Oldman (James Gordon) in RoboCop (2014); and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) in Clean and Sober (1988).
- #025
Michael Keaton is the fourth and shortest actor to play Bruce Wayne/Batman.
- #026
Michael Keaton is a Second City alumnus and a member of its Los Angeles branch.
- #027
A passionate Pittsburgh Steelers fan, Michael Keaton grew up about five miles from Crafton, PA, the hometown of former Steelers coach Bill Cowher.
- #028
Michael Keaton co-starred with the late Christopher Reeve in Speechless (1994). Keaton and Reeve played two of DC Comics' most iconic characters, Batman and Superman.
- #029
Contrary to popular belief, Michael Keaton is not related to Buster Keaton or Diane Keaton, nor did he take his name from them. He needed an alternative surname, so he went through a list of possible surnames and, when he reached the K's, decided Keaton sounded harmless enough.
- #030
Michael Keaton turned down the role of the ill-fated mad scientist Dr. Seth Brundle in David Cronenberg's remake The Fly (1986). The role ultimately went to Pittsburgh native Jeff Goldblum.
- #031
Michael Keaton has worked with all three of Tom Cruise's former wives: Mimi Rogers as boyfriend and girlfriend in Gung Ho (1986); Nicole Kidman as husband and wife in My Life (1993); and Katie Holmes as father and daughter in First Daughter (2004).
- #032
Michael Keaton has a son, Sean Douglas (born May 27, 1983), with his former wife Caroline McWilliams.
- #033
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Phil Connors in Groundhog Day (1993), but was deemed "too nice" for the part.
- #034
On his ranches in California and Montana, Michael Keaton enjoys snowboarding, playing golf, mountain biking, fly fishing and horseback riding.
- #035
Michael Keaton's son, Sean Douglas, plays keyboards in a band called "The Hatch."
- #036
Michael Keaton's father was of English, Scottish, Scotch-Irish/Northern Irish and German descent, while his mother came from an Irish family.
- #037
Michael Keaton was parodied by Matthew Perry on Saturday Night Live (1975).
- #038
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon (1987). He was also considered to play the villain Jack Travis in Lethal Weapon 3 (1992).
- #039
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), which went to Eddie Murphy.
- #040
A longtime Pittsburgh resident and fan of the city's sports teams, Michael Keaton negotiated to break his Batman film contract in case the Pirates made the playoffs that year, but in the end they did not. He also wrote an ESPN blog about the Pirates in the final months of the 2013 season.
- #041
Michael Keaton was initially set to star in The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) and had actually shot some scenes, but Woody Allen decided it wasn't working and replaced him with Jeff Daniels.
- #042
Michael Keaton is good friends with Tim Burton.
- #043
Michael Keaton was considered for several roles in Pulp Fiction (1994): Vincent Vega (which went to John Travolta), Mr. Wolf (which went to Harvey Keitel) and Lance (which went to Eric Stoltz).
- #044
Michael Keaton attended and graduated from Montour High School in Robinson Township, Pennsylvania.
- #045
Michael Keaton turned down the role in Kong: Skull Island (2017) that went to John C. Reilly because of scheduling conflicts.
- #046
Michael Keaton was offered the role of Chili Palmer in Get Shorty (1995), which went to John Travolta. He would later play Ray Nicolette in Jackie Brown (1997) and Out of Sight (1998), both also adapted from Elmore Leonard's books.
- #047
A Democrat, Michael Keaton supported President Barack Obama for re-election in 2012 and Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination in 2016.
- #048
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Harry in When Harry Met Sally… (1989), which went to Billy Crystal.
- #049
As of 2017, Michael Keaton and Robert Pattinson were the only living Bruce Wayne/Batman actors who had not been directed by Terrence Malick. George Clooney appeared in The Thin Red Line (1998); Ben Affleck appeared in To the Wonder (2012); Christian Bale appeared in The New World (2005) and Knight of Cups (2015); and Val Kilmer was to appear in Malick's new film, in which Bale would also appear. Adam West, who played Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman: The Movie (1966) and the 1960s television series, died on 9 June 2017 without having been directed by Terrence Malick.
- #050
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story (1995). He ultimately played Ken in Toy Story 3 (2010).
- #051
Michael Keaton appeared with Geena Davis in Beetlejuice (1988) and Speechless (1994), and had he accepted the lead role in The Fly (1986), it would have been their third film together (and the first they made together).
- #052
Michael Keaton was considered for Kevin Costner's roles in Field of Dreams (1989) and JFK (1991).
- #053
Michael Keaton was considered for one of Jack Nicholson's roles in Mars Attacks! (1996).
- #054
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Connor MacLeod in Highlander (1986).
- #055
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom in Con Air (1997), which went to John Malkovich.
- #056
Michael Keaton turned down the lead role in Clean Slate (1994) in favor of My Life (1993).
- #057
Michael Keaton was considered for Steve Guttenberg's roles in Police Academy (1984) and Three Men and a Baby (1987).
- #058
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
- #059
Michael Keaton was the first of three actors to reprise the role of Batman in major live-action films (Batman (1989)/Batman Returns (1992)). Adam West played Batman in only one film (Batman: The Movie (1966)) (along with the live-action TV series Batman (1966) and voice work), and Kevin Conroy only voiced Batman. Christian Bale was the second. Ben Affleck would play the role more than once, with Batman Begins (2005), followed by The Dark Knight (2008) and a third time with The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Most recently, Ben Affleck appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad (2016) and Justice League (2017).
- #060
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Alan Parrish in Jumanji (1995).
- #061
Michael Keaton is a big Katy Perry fan.
- #062
John McTiernan wanted Michael Keaton to appear in The 13th Warrior (1999), but the studio did not want him.
- #063
Michael Keaton was originally set to star in Leap of Faith (1992), but he dropped out. Steve Martin replaced him.
- #064
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Josh Baskin in Big (1988), which went to Tom Hanks.
- #065
Michael Keaton was considered for Kurt Russell's roles in Tango & Cash (1989) and Vanilla Sky (2001).
- #066
Michael Keaton was considered for Tim Allen's role in The Santa Clause (1994).
- #067
Michael Keaton is a grandfather to a grandchild through his son Sean Douglas.
- #068
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of James Halliday in Ready Player One (2018), which went to Mark Rylance.
- #069
Michael Keaton was considered for Richard Gere's roles in Internal Affairs (1990) and The Jackal (1997).
- #070
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Lieutenant Colonel Kazinski in Jarhead (2005), which went to Chris Cooper.
- #071
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Truman Gates in Next of Kin (1989), which went to Patrick Swayze.
- #072
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of Nick Conklin in Black Rain (1989), which went to Michael Douglas.
- #073
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of John Nada in They Live (1988), which went to Roddy Piper.
- #074
Michael Keaton was considered for the role of King Koopa in Super Mario Bros. (1993), which went to Dennis Hopper.
- #075
Michael Keaton was considered for the role played by Jeff Bridges in Blown Away (1994).
Continue through the archive
Batmanas Batman
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)as Riggan- Morbiusas Adrian Toomes
- What Is Life Worthas Ken Feinberg
- Pacific Heightsas Carter Hayes
- Mr. Momas Jack
- Night Shiftas Bill Blazejowski
- Knox Goes Awayas John 'Aristotle' Knox
- The Protégéas Rembrandt
- Johnny Dangerouslyas Johnny Dangerously
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