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THE MICHAEL KEATON FILE
Michael Keaton was born Michael Douglas on Sept. 9, 1951, in Coraopolis, Penn.
He studied speech at Kent State University and drove an ice-cream truck before beginning his career as a stand-up comic.
In 1980, he moved to Los Angeles where he snagged roles on such TV series as The Tony Randall Show and Maude.
In 1982, Ron Howard cast him opposite Shelley Long and Henry Winkler in the comedy Night Shift.
"I had to change my name because of that other Michael Douglas," says Keaton. "My middle name is John, so my brother nicknamed me Jackson.
"I actually toyed with the idea of calling myself Michael Jackson," recalls Keaton, who was reading an article about Diane Keaton in his agent's office the day the name changed crunch came.
Night Shift turned Keaton into an overnight star and the next year he was the star of his own movie Mr. Mom, which was an even bigger success.
- 1982 -- Night Shift.
- 1983 -- Mr. Mom.
Hoping to prove he could be an action star and a dramatic actor, Keaton chose a series of projects that almost killed his career.
- 1984 -- Johnny Dangerously.
- 1986 -- Touch and Go.
- 1986 -- Gung Ho.
- 1987 -- The Squeeze.
- 1988 -- Clean and Sober.
Then in 1988, Keaton teamed up with Tim Burton for the wacky supernatural comedy Beetlejuice and a year later for Batman. These two films would turn Keaton into a superstar.
- 1988 -- Beetlejuice.
- 1989 -- The Dream Team.
- 1989 -- Batman.
- 1990 -- Pacific Heights.
- 1991 -- One Good Cop.
- 1992 -- Batman Returns.
Though he was riding high on his Batman films, Keaton stunned Hollywood by turning down an estimated $35-million US to play the caped crusader a third time in Batman & Robin, opting instead to once again diversify his career. It's been six years and Keaton has yet to have another major box-office hit.
- 1993 -- My Life.
- 1993 -- Much Ado About Nothing.
- 1994 -- Speechless.
- 1994 -- The Paper.
- 1996 -- Multiplicity.
- 1997 -- Jackie Brown.
- 1998 -- Desperate Measures.
- 1998 -- Out Of Sight.
- 1998 -- Jack Frost.
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