Matinee Classics - Michael Keaton Biography & Filmography

Michael Keaton ACTOR

MICHAEL KEATON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Michael Keaton was born on September 5th, 1951 in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania with the birth name Michael John Douglas. After graduating from Montour High School he enrolled at Kent State and began to study speech, however after completing only two years he left early and moved to Pittsburg and tried to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian.

Keaton was unsuccessful and instead found work as a camera man for a local television station. It was while working this particular job that he realized he wanted to be on the other side of the camera and decided he was going to pursue a career as an actor.

He first worked as a stage hand on the children's television show, "Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood" (1968). Keaton then relocated to California and began making small appearances on such series as, "Maude" (1972), "The Mary Tyler Moore Hour" (1979), "All's Fair" (1976-1977) and "Working Stiffs" (1979).

He had now taken on the last name Keaton to avoid any confusion with the famous actor Michael Douglas. With some experience on his resume he began auditioning for film roles and his break through role came in 1982 in the film, "Night Shift" starring Henry Winkler, Shelley Long, Shannen Doherty, Kevin Costner, Dawn Dunlap and Richard Belzer, which he followed by more successful roles such as, "Mr. Mom" (1983) co-starring Teri Garr, Jeffrey Tambor, Christopher Lloyd and Martin Mull, "Johnny Dangerously" (1984) with Joe Piscopo, Marilu Henner, Maureen Stapleton, Peter Boyle, Griffin Dunne, Dom DeLuise, Danny DeVito, Dick Butkus and Alan Hale Jr., Ron Howard's "Gung Ho" (1986) co-starring Gedde Watanabe, Mimi Rogers, George Wendt and Johnny Turturro, "Beetlejuice" (1988) starring alongside Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones and Sylvia Sidney, and his biggest film role, "Batman" (1989) also starring Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams and Jack Palance, portraying Bruce Wayne.

Soon more successful roles followed such as, "Pacific Heights" (1990) co-starring Melanie Griffith, Matthew Modine, Laurie Metcalf, Tippi Hedren and Dorian Harewood, "One Good Cop" (1991) starring with Rene Russo, Anthony LaPaglia and Benjamin Bratt, "Batman Returns" (1992) also starring Pat Hingle, Christopher Walken, Danny DeVito, Michael Gough, Michelle Pfeiffer, "Much Ado About Nothing" (1993) starring with Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, Robert Sean Leonard, Richard Briers and Kate Beckinsale in her screen debut, "The Paper" (1994) with Glenn Close, Randy Quaid, Jason Robards and Robert Duvall, "Multiplicity" (1996) with Andie MacDowell, "Jackie Brown" (1997) starring alongside Pam Grier, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro, Samuel L. Jackson and Bridget Fonda and "Desperate Measures" (1998) co-starring Andy García, Marcia Gay Harden and Brian Cox.

In addition to his many film roles, Keaton also continued to appear on television in such series as, "30 Rock" and "Frasier". He has also done voice over work for such shows as, "The Simpson's", "King of the Hill" and the films, "Cars", "Toy Story", "Small Fry", "Noah's Ark: The New Beginning" and voice over work for a number of video games.

Michael Keaton has married only once to Caroline McWilliams in 1982 and they had one child before the marriage came to an end in 1990. He has not re-married and resides in Pacific Palisades and also owns homes in Santa Barbara and Montana.