Holy smokes! Michael Keaton is celebrating his 65th birthday today!
The youngest of seven, Michael Keaton was born on September 5 1951 to parents George and Leona Douglas. The family was raised in Pennsylvania where Keaton began his entertainment career in Pittsburgh as a stand-up comedian. However, the pursuit floundered and pushed Keaton to move to Los Angeles. It was there the actor’s career took flight as he starred in projects such as Working Stiffs, Night Shift, and Beetlejuice.
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However, the actor’s career reach brand-new heights when Keaton was cast in Tim Burton’s Batman. The director reportedly chose Keaton to play Bruce Wayne as he felt Keaton was capable of portraying the vigilante’s obsessive nature. While fans were initially upset by the casting, Keaton proved naysayers wrong as his work on Batman was praise by both fans and critics. Keaton went on to star in Batman Returns, but he chose to leave the franchise when Burton opted to leave Batman behind. The actor was allegedly unimpressed with the third installment’s script, living Val Kilmer to play Gotham’s Bat in Batman Forever.
Most recently, Keaton has been in the spotlight for his work on Birdman where he starred alongside Emma Stone, Edward Norton, and Zach Galifianakis. He played Riggan Thomson, a washed-up screen actor who was best-known for playing a popular on-screen superhero. Keaton’s portrayal went on to earn him critical praise and secure several awards such as an Oscar for Best Actor.
Fans will see Keaton reenter the world of superheroes when Spider-Man: Homecoming hits theaters next year. The actor signed on to join the project and will be playing Vulture, an iconic Spider-Man villain. The film is set to swing into theaters on July 7 2017.
Happy Birthday, Michael Keaton!
