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Michael Keaton could not go by his birth name in Hollywood due to a restriction on using the same name as other artists. Keaton shared that his real name is Michael Douglas, the same as that of theWall Streetactor. The Beetlejuice actor, born to George and Leona Douglas, intends to go back to his birth name by adopting the hybrid name, Michael Keaton Douglas.
When the news broke out on social media, fans were quick to react with Batman vs Ant-Man memes. Keaton’s most recent filmBeetlejuice Beetlejuicewill hit U.S. theaters in a matter of hours but received positive reviews from its overseas market. He is credited as Michael Keaton in the film.
Michael Keaton Couldn’t Use His Birth Name In Showbiz All These Years
Michael Keatonwas born Michael Douglas, the youngest of the seven children of George and Leona Douglas. The young middle-class Pittsburgh boy went on to pursue his Hollywood dreams and landed a couple of TV roles. However, he couldn’t use his birth name due to restrictions placed by the Screen Actors Guild.
“That’s really hard to do in 2024”: The 1 Condition Michael Keaton Desperately Wanted Tim Burton to Agree to for Beetlejuice 2
According to the union rules, two artists cannot have the same professional name. The industry already had actorMichael Douglasand a TV show host Mike Douglas. TheSpider-Man: Homecomingactor changed his name to Keaton and stuck to that name throughout his career success. His breakout role was in the sitcomSticks and Boneandhe later went on to play Batman.
At least some fans were surprised to hear this news from Keaton during a recent interview withPEOPLE. Keaton shared that he now wanted to go back to his birth name. Fans used the superhero names of Keaton and Douglas to comment that Ant-Man took Batman’s name and now Batman was taking it all.
Fans shared that Keaton’s new intended professional name, Michael Keaton Douglas, would create unnecessary confusion in the industry. Other fan comments had a little fun with all the superhero references. Some of the fan reactions read:
Wait.. Antman had Batman’s name first so now Batman is taking it allpic.twitter.com/uSt7VRhVFh
Does this mean we have to start referring to ‘89 Batman as the Douglas Batman?pic.twitter.com/uDPDSaOmr9
SAG SEEING THERE SAME NAMEpic.twitter.com/8RUmc0MqTx
Michael Keaton Douglas? That’s one way to confuse Hollywood even more. Maybe he should just stick to being Batman!
“michael keaton’s real name is michael douglas”pic.twitter.com/KOhEkIIaBs
Interestingly, the lore has it that the actor randomly picked the name Keaton from a phone book. During his interview with PEOPLE, Keaton couldn’t confirm it for certain, sharing that he picked out a moniker he thought was“reasonable”and went with it.
Michael Keaton Intended to Use The New Professional Name In His Recent Film But“Forgot”
During his interview with PEOPLE, Michael Keaton shared that he intended to use the new hybrid of his birth name and stage name—Michael Keaton Douglas—in his recent film. Keaton directed and played the main role of a hitman inKnox Goes Away, a crime thriller also starring James Marsden and Al Pacino.
“I got a question for you, Who the hell are you”: Michael Keaton Leaves Hot Ones Set After Frustrating Experience With Beetlejuice in a Hilarious Promo
However, the stress of a filmmaker on his second directorial venture got to Keaton and he forgot to go by his new name. He shared with PEOPLE:
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. But that will happen.
Interestingly, Michael Douglas is the son of late actor and filmmaker Kirk Douglas, whose birth name was Issur Danielovitch. Kirk Douglas changed his name to Izzy Demsky when he immigrated to the United States and later changed it to Kirk Douglas before entering the US Navy during World War II.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
