Actor Michael Keaton took the last name Keaton to avoid confusion with what other famous Michael?
Michael Keaton, whose legal name is Michael John Douglas, famously adopted his stage name to avoid confusion with the established Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas. At the time he was starting his career, the Screen Actors Guild had a strict policy preventing two performers from working under the same name to ensure clear credits and payment. Because the “Wall Street” star and a popular talk show host named Mike Douglas had already registered, the young actor had to quickly pivot to something unique.
