Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
64
Michael Keaton Wants To Go Back To His Real Name After Picking Stage Name From A Phone Book
The name Michael Keaton might be synonymous with Hollywood stardom, but most fans might not even know that the veteran actor’s real name is something else.
Ahead of the release of his latest movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the Hollywood star revealed how Michael Keaton was a name he picked out decades back, possibly from a phone book.
Highlights
- Michael Keaton's real name is Michael Douglas; he changed it due to Screen Actors Guild rules.
- He landed on "Keaton" saying: “I was looking through — I can’t remember if it was a phone book."
- The actor said he wants to start using the name Michael Keaton Douglas for movies soon.
Named Michael Douglas at birth, the actor was the youngest of seven children born to his civil engineer father George Douglas and homemaker Leona.
BP Daily - Your Source for Unbiased Reporting
Michael Keaton’s name is iconic in Hollywood, but only a few fans probably know that it’s not his real name
Image credits: JB Lacroix/FilmMagic via Getty Images
When he first started out in showbiz, the now-72-year-old actor couldn’t use his birth name due to a Screen Actors Guild rule that prohibited new members from using an existing member’s professional name.
He got his first break in the 1979 sitcom Working Stiffs. At the time, the name Michael Douglas was already taken by his fellow actor and Oscar winner, who has starred in hits like Basic Instinct and Wall Street.
The actor had to change his name due to a Screen Actors Guild rule that prevented duplicate names
Image credits: @michaelkeatondouglas / Instagram
Image credits: @michaelkeatondouglas / Instagram
Going with Mike was also not an option for the Batman actor since talk show host Mike Douglas was already in the picture.
Hence, he landed on “Keaton.”
“I was looking through — I can’t remember if it was a phone book,” he told People in a story released this week. “I must’ve gone, ‘I don’t know, let me think of something here.’ And I went, ‘Oh, that sounds reasonable.’”
The Birdman actor chose “Keaton” for his new stage name—possibly from a phone book
View this post on Instagram
The name has certainly served him well. “Michael Keaton” turned into a name emblazoned across movie posters for decades and also turned into a household name.
However, he has recently been considering a return to his roots and using a new stage name: Michael Keaton Douglas.
He said he intended to use this hybrid moniker for his latest directorial project, Knox Goes Away. But the stress of filmmaking got the better of him, and he said he “forgot” about it.
The Hollywood star’s latest movie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, is hitting the big screen on September 6
View this post on Instagram
“I said, ‘Hey, just as a warning, my credit is going to be Michael Keaton Douglas.’ And it totally got away from me. And I forgot to give them enough time to put it in and create that,” he told the outlet. “But that will happen.”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will hit the big screen on Friday, September 6, when the Oscar-nominated actor reprises his famous role along with Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara in the Tim Burton-directed sequel.
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
You May Like “We Don’t Talk About That”: Glen Powell’s Viral Blunder During Interview Might Expose Dark Side Of Hollywood "What Happened?": Bradley Cooper's Radical Makeover Has Fans Saying He Looks Like Barry Manilow "A Nightmare": Fans React To Millie Bobby Brown’s Story About How She Started Dating Jake Bongiovi
Gabija Saveiskyte
Lei RV
Lei RV
Related on Bored Panda
19
1