- Micheal Keaton has had an incredible talent over his career to play silly and outrageous roles as easily as he does super serious and dramatic ones.
- Here we look at 12 of his movies and rank them from most outlandish to most serious.
- See where movies like “Beetlejuice,” “Jack Frost,” “Toy Story 3,” “Birdman,” and “Spotlight” fall in the list.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Over Michael Keaton’s successful career that spans all the way back to the late 1970s, the Oscar-nominated actor has played a wide range of characters. But what really stands out is his talent to play outlandish parts as easily he does dramatic ones.
Though most people will always link Keaton with playing Batman in the late 1980s, that’s just one chapter in his career. Through the decades, he’s also played everything from a deranged ghost named Beetlejuice and a self-absorbed Ken doll in “Toy Story 3,” to a man struggling with addiction in “Clean and Sober” and a newspaper editor, twice, in “The Paper” and “Spotlight.”
Here we highlight 12 of his movies to journey from Keaton’s most outlandish movie to his most serious.
Most Outlandish: “Beetlejuice” (1988)
Outlandish rating: 10/10
A year before teaming up for "Batman," Keaton and Tim Burton did this wild horror/comedy about a recently deceased couple (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) who try to scare the people who have moved into their home by reluctantly hiring the services of Beetlejuice.
As Beetlejuice, Keaton delivers his most colorful performance to date as the hilariously crude ghost.
"Jack Frost" (1998)
Outlandish rating: 9/10
This touching family story has Keaton playing a father who dies in a car accident and returns as a snowman to make things right with his son. Thanks to late 1990s CGI, the snowman has a look that is less cute and more nightmare-inducing.
"Multiplicity" (1996)
Outlandish rating: 7/10
Keaton plays Doug, a construction worker who can't find enough family time due to his busy schedule. Thankfully he is friends with a scientist who is fine with testing out his cloning tech on Doug.
Suddenly there are a bunch of Doug clones who all vary in personality and intelligence. Keaton uses his whole acting toolbox in this one.
"Pacific Heights" (1990)
Outlandish rating: 5/10
In this thriller, Keaton plays a disturbed man who put his landlords (Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith) through hell as his outrageous acts (like infesting his apartment with cockroaches) push the couple into debt and fear. This is creepy Keaton at his best.
"Johnny Dangerously" (1984)
Outlandish rating: 3/10
"Clueless" director Amy Heckerling helms this outlandish comedy that stars Keaton as a good guy who has to turn to crime to get his mother out of debt. The slapstick vibe of the movie isn't for everyone, but Keaton is great in it.
"Toy Story 3" (2010)
Outlandish rating: 1/10
Sporting an ascot and a perfect head of hair, Keaton as a Ken doll is the perfect addition to the "Toy Story" franchise. And he plays it with a great mixture of comedy and dramatics.
"Birdman" (2014)
Serious rating: 3/10
Keaton earned an Oscar nomination for this role. He balances his outlandish side with serious dramatic turns as an actor known for his superhero work who tries to revive his career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production.
"Jackie Brown" (1997)
Serious rating: 5/10
Keaton is perfect as an ATF agent who gets outsmarted by Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) as he tries to get her to give up her drug-dealing boss, Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). Keaton is so good in the role he played the character again a year later in "Out of Sight."
"The Paper" (1994)
Serious rating: 7/10
It turns out Keaton is great at playing a newspaper editor. He shows it for the first time here in this Ron Howard movie that looks inside the fast-paced world of a New York tabloid. Keaton plays an editor with a lot of moves to make before deadline.
"The Founder" (2016)
Serious rating: 8/10
Keaton plays Ray Kroc, a traveling salesman who stumbles across the idea of a lifetime after pulling over to the side of the road to grab a hamburger. Befriending the two brothers who own a hamburger stand, he pushes them out and creates the fast-food phenomenon McDonald's.
Keaton is fantastic as the driven and unforgiving Kroc.
"Spotlight" (2015)
Serious rating: 9/10
Keaton returns to the newsroom to play the editor of Spotlight, the investigative division of the Boston Globe. We follow as his team reports on the child molestation cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese that shakes up the Catholic Church.
Keaton's dramatic chops are on full display here.
Most Serious: "Clean and Sober" (1988)
Serious rating: 10/10
The most serious role Keaton has ever taken on is his performance as Daryl Poynter, a Philadelphia real estate agent addicted to cocaine. He agrees to go to rehab to lay low following legal troubles but ends up realizing it's exactly what he needs. Doing mostly comedies up to this point in his career, this is the role that really showed Hollywood that Keaton could be a leading man in a drama, too.
And to show just how amazing this actor's range is, "Clean and Sober" came out the same year that he played his most outlandish role ever, "Beetlejuice."