To Avoid Mixing His Fame with Michael Douglas, Batman Star Michael Keaton Changed His Real Name
Michael Keaton, the actor we all know and love as Batman in Tim Burton’s movies, made a big impact on the world of superhero films. His portrayal of the dark and tortured hero Bruce Wayne altered how Hollywood viewed these kinds of films. You might be surprised to learn that Michael Keaton didn’t always go by that name, though. It might sound shocking, but he actually changed his name at one point. Shocking right? But the actor had quite a compelling reason for his action.
Michael Keaton’s reason behind changing his name
Michael Keaton has a distinguished career and a long list of awards. He is a really versatile actor known for his parts in a variety of movies including Gung Ho, First Daughter, Pacific Heights, Dumbo, Worth, and many others. For his outstanding performances, he has won awards like the Primetime Emmy and two Golden Globes. While Keaton has made his mark in a number of films, his portrayal as Batman stands out above the others.
But did you know that Michael Keaton wasn’t actually his real name at first? It was Michael John Douglas. Yes, it might sound familiar because if we remove the “John,” it’s similar to Michael Douglas, the renowned actor, Marvel star, and film producer with decades of Hollywood experience. Michael Douglas established himself as an accomplished actor in the classic television show The Streets of San Francisco, for which he garnered a total of three consecutive Emmy nominations.
Keaton made a perfectly logical decision to change his name. He wanted to avoid any confusion or mixing up his own fame with that of Michael Douglas, and that’s why he came up with the name Michael Keaton. Setting himself apart in the cutthroat world of the entertainment industry was a wise decision. But now the question arises, why Keaton?
Michael Keaton told the story about how he ended up with the name Keaton
Michael Keaton told the funny story about how he ended up changing his name from Michael Douglas on an episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He added that when he first began his acting career, there were already two other men with the same name who belonged to the actors’ union. It includes acclaimed actor Michael Douglas and well-known talk show presenter Mike Douglas. In order to avoid confusion when faced with this dilemma, he was recommended to change his name.
Keaton didn’t want to give up his previous name, Michael Douglas, though; he was very connected to it. He stated with pride that he liked his name and saw no reason to have it changed. However, the practicalities of avoiding misunderstandings in the industry won out, thus he ultimately chose to choose a new name. He only had a few choices, so he opened the phone book to the letter K and found Keaton, which is how he became known as Michael Keaton in the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
Source: Cinemablend & Quora
