Michael John Douglas (Better known by the stage name Michael Keaton) (born September 9, 1951) is an American actor, perhaps best known for his early comedic roles in films such as Night Shift, and Beetlejuice, and for his portrayal of Batman in the two Tim Burton directed films in the series.Keaton, the youngest of seven children, was born Michael John Douglas in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, the son of Leona, a homemaker, and a father who worked as a civil engineer and surveyor.His family were of Scots-Irish descent. He studied speech for two years at Kent State, before dropping out and moving to Pittsburgh. Keaton was married to actress Caroline McWilliams from 1982 until 1990. They have one son, Sean Douglas (b. 1983). In the mid 1980's he dated Michelle Pfeiffer. In the late 1980's he dated porn star Rachel Ryan. Courteney Cox dated Keaton from 1989-1995. He went to Montour High School in Pennsylvania.
An unsuccessful attempt at stand-up comedy led Keaton to working as a TV cameraman at local public television station WQED (TV). Keaton first appeared on TV in several episodes of the Pittsburgh-based public television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (1975) and he came to realize he wanted to work in front of the cameras. His first acting job was on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as one of the "Flying Zucchini Brothers." He also served as a full-time production assistant on the show, and directed several "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" segments. In 2003, following Rogers' death, Keaton hosted the PBS memorial tribute program, Fred Rogers: Everybody's Favorite Neighbor. Keaton left Pittsburgh and moved to Los Angeles to begin auditioning for various TV parts. He cropped up in various popular TV shows including Maude (1977) and The Mary Tyler Moore Hour (1979). Around this time Keaton decided to use an alternative surname to remove confusion with well known actor Michael Douglas, as well as satisfying SAG rules, and after reading an article on actress Diane Keaton, he decided on "Michael Keaton".
His next key break was scoring a co-lead alongside James Belushi in the short-lived comedy series Working Stiffs (1979), which showcased his comedic talent and got him into the casting for the co-lead in Night Shift (1982). His role as the hilariously fast-talking schemer Bill "Blaze" Blazejowski alongside nerdish morgue attendant Henry Winkler earned Keaton some critical acclaim, and he scored leads in the subsequent comedy hits Mr. Mom (1983), Johnny Dangerously (1984), and Gung Ho (1986).
His role as the title character in the 1988 Tim Burton horror-comedy Beetlejuice, which starred Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, and Winona Ryder, earned Keaton widespread acclaim and boosted him to the A-list. That same year, Keaton also gave an acclaimed dramatic performance as a drug addicted businessman in Clean and Sober. Some even mentioned an Oscar nomination for him. Newsweek featured the young actor in a story during this time.
