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Michael Keaton is an American actor born Michael John Douglas on September 5, 1951 in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. He is the youngest of seven children. He attended Kent State University in Ohio for two years where he studied speech before leaving school and moving to Pittsburgh for a career in stand up comedy. He drove a taxi and an ice cream truck among other odd jobs to support himself. His comedic career was a failure but he got a job working behind the camera at a Pittsburg PBS station. The job opened his eyes to the fact that he wanted to be in front of the camera.

Keaton moved to Los Angeles and began auditioning for roles. His first roles were mainly guest spots on the TV series Maude, The Mary Tyler Moore Hour and Stud's Lonnigan. It was around this time that he decided to change his name (though not legally) to Keaton after reading an article about actress Diane Keaton.

His first real success was on the short lived comedy series Working Stiffs with James Belushi playing Mike O'Rourke. From there he went on to star in the comedic film Night Shift. His performance was ranked as brilliant and he won the title role in the comedy Mr. Mom. The film was a hit but his follow-up roles in Johnny Dangerously, Gung Ho, and The Squeeze were less so.

In 1988 he played the title role in the Tim Burton film, Beetlejuice. The film also starred Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, and a young Winona Ryder. The film was a success and boosted his career significantly. He followed up with dramatic performances in Clean and Sober and Dream Team. His brilliant performances led to him being cast in the 1989 film, Batman, directed by Tim Burton. Despite fan complaints regarding the casting choice, his performance won over critics and he also appeared in the 1992 sequel Batman Returns. He was slated to appear in the third film, Batman Forever but disappointed with the script, he and Burton both bowed out.

In 1992 Keaton voiced the charcter Porco Rosso in the English version of the animated Japanese film Kurenai no buta or Porco Rosso. In 1993 he played a comedic part in the film Much Ado About Nothing and in 1996 he starred in Multiplicity as a man who has himself cloned several times. The film was a flop. He later appeared in Jackie Brown, Desperate Measures, and Jack Frost. None of the roles won him his former success.

In 2005, he starred in the film White Noise as a husband who loses his wife and comes to believe she's trying to communicate with him through the phenomenon of EVP. He also appeared in the film Herbie Full Loaded and gave voice to the character of Chick Hicks in the animated film Cars.

Personal Life

In 1982 Keaton married actress Caroline McWilliams. The couple had one child, a son, Sean, before divorcing in 1990. He became involved with actress Courtney Cox but their relationship ended in 1995 after nearly six years together.

External Links

Michael Keaton - IMDB

Star Pulse - Michael Keaton Biography