Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#437
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Michael Keaton represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 44 years in, and Michael is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Michael Keaton appears in 50 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Michael. Toy Story 3 is the clearest case: a film rated 8.1 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for crime, thriller, comedy. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with James Ashcroft, Tim Burton, Hallie Meyers-Shyer and others, Michael Keaton helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Toy Story 3 (2010) as Ken (voice) · Spotlight (2015) as Walter 'Robby' Robinson · The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) as Ramsey Clark
Career snapshot
Ranked #437 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
50
1982–2026
Career length
44 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.1
Toy Story 3
Average Nutevio score
6.3
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.8
Spotlight
Most frequent director
Tim Burton
5 films together
Longest collaboration
5×
With Tim Burton
Most common genre
Comedy
26 titles
Average runtime
1h 50m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.7
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2010s
6.8 average MV
The 2010s are where the work and the material meet. Dumbo, Spider-Man: Homecoming, American Assassin — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2010s
6.8
Across 14 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2010s
6.7
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1980s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Batman, The Dream Team, Beetlejuice.
Most productive era
2010s
14 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.23 films | 6.58 films | 5.63 films | 6.95 films | 7.03 films |
| Action | 7.31 film | 6.52 films | — | 6.55 films | 6.54 films |
| Thriller | 6.11 film | 6.63 films | 5.61 film | 6.14 films | 4.53 films |
| Comedy | 6.47 films | 6.45 films | 6.04 films | 6.96 films | 6.44 films |
| Crime | 6.63 films | 6.73 films | — | 6.41 film | 4.53 films |
| Romance | 5.91 film | 6.55 films | 5.73 films | — | — |
| Horror | — | — | 5.61 film | — | 6.91 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1982Night Shift
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Bill Blazejowski.
Highest rated performance
2010Toy Story 3
8.1 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer.
Career peak
2015Spotlight
Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2026The Whisper Man
The current state of the argument, as Francis 'Frank' Carter.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
50 of 50 films
as Walter 'Robby' Robinson
Directed by Tom McCarthy
as Adrian Toomes / Vulture
Directed by Jon Watts
as Batman / Bruce Wayne
Directed by Tim Burton
as Ray Kroc
Directed by John Lee Hancock
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Walter 'Robby' Robinson
Spotlight (2015)
Performance score8.1
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Walter 'Robby' Robinson gives Michael Keaton a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Riggan
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
Performance score8.0
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Riggan is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Adrian Toomes / Vulture
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Performance score7.9
Spider-Man: Homecoming asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Adrian Toomes / Vulture is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Batman / Bruce Wayne
Batman (1989)
Performance score7.9
Batman asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Batman / Bruce Wayne is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Walter 'Robby' Robinson
Start here. Spotlight is the clearest statement of what Michael Keaton does — accessible, 129 minutes, and rated 7.8 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Michael at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Batman (1989)
A deliberate change of key after Spotlight — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
A deliberate change of key after Batman — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
The Founder (2016)
Keeps the drama register of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) but asks for a colder reading of it.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
A deliberate change of key after The Founder — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Tim Burton
Director
5 films together
Notably Beetlejuice
Ron Howard
Director
3 films together
Notably The Paper
Amy Heckerling
Director
1 film together
Notably Johnny Dangerously
John Hughes
Director
1 film together
Notably She's Having a Baby
John Schlesinger
Director
1 film together
Notably Pacific Heights
Bruce Joel Rubin
Director
1 film together
Notably My Life
Kenneth Branagh
Director
1 film together
Notably Much Ado About Nothing
Harold Ramis
Director
1 film together
Notably Multiplicity
Quentin Tarantino
Director
1 film together
Notably Jackie Brown
Troy Miller
Director
1 film together
Notably Jack Frost
Barbet Schroeder
Director
1 film together
Notably Desperate Measures
Forest Whitaker
Director
1 film together
Notably First Daughter
Geoffrey Sax
Director
1 film together
Notably White Noise
Angela Robinson
Director
1 film together
Notably Herbie Fully Loaded
John Lasseter
Director
1 film together
Notably Cars
Vicky Jenson
Director
1 film together
Notably Post Grad
Adam McKay
Director
1 film together
Notably The Other Guys
Lee Unkrich
Director
1 film together
Notably Toy Story 3
Greg Mottola
Director
1 film together
Notably Clear History
Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Director
1 film together
Notably Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
José Padilha
Director
1 film together
Notably RoboCop
Kyle Balda
Director
1 film together
Notably Minions
Tom McCarthy
Director
1 film together
Notably Spotlight
John Lee Hancock
Director
1 film together
Notably The Founder
Michael Cuesta
Director
1 film together
Notably American Assassin
Jon Watts
Director
1 film together
Notably Spider-Man: Homecoming
Aaron Sorkin
Director
1 film together
Notably The Trial of the Chicago 7
Martin Campbell
Director
1 film together
Notably The Protégé
Scott Mosier
Director
1 film together
Notably Minions & More 2
Daniel Espinosa
Director
1 film together
Notably Morbius
Mike Binder
Director
1 film together
Notably Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Tribute
Andy Muschietti
Director
1 film together
Notably The Flash
Michael Keaton
Director
1 film together
Notably Knox Goes Away
Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Director
1 film together
Notably Goodrich
James Ashcroft
Director
1 film together
Notably The Whisper Man
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Tim Burton
Director
5 films together · 7.1 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 5 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
BeetlejuiceRon Howard
Director
3 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The PaperLee Unkrich
Director
1 film together · 8.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Toy Story 3Tom McCarthy
Director
1 film together · 7.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SpotlightAaron Sorkin
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Trial of the Chicago 7Jon Watts
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Spider-Man: HomecomingScott Mosier
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Minions & More 2Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)Quentin Tarantino
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Jackie BrownJohn Lee Hancock
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The FounderJohn Lasseter
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
CarsMichael Keaton
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Knox Goes AwayKenneth Branagh
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Much Ado About NothingBruce Joel Rubin
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
My LifeAndy Muschietti
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The FlashMartin Campbell
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The ProtégéHallie Meyers-Shyer
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
GoodrichMichael Cuesta
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
American AssassinKyle Balda
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
MinionsAdam McKay
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Other GuysJohn Schlesinger
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Pacific HeightsAmy Heckerling
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Johnny DangerouslyForest Whitaker
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
First DaughterGreg Mottola
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Clear HistoryBarbet Schroeder
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Desperate MeasuresTroy Miller
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Jack FrostDaniel Espinosa
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
MorbiusJosé Padilha
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
RoboCopJohn Hughes
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
She's Having a BabyAngela Robinson
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Herbie Fully LoadedHarold Ramis
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
MultiplicityGeoffrey Sax
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
White NoiseVicky Jenson
Director
1 film together · 5.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Post GradMike Binder
Director
1 film together · 4.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget TributeJames Ashcroft
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Whisper ManSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Spotlight
as Walter 'Robby' Robinson
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
The Trial of the Chicago 7
as Ramsey Clark
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Toy Story 3
as Ken (voice)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
She's Having a Baby
as Michael Keaton (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Spotlight
as Walter 'Robby' Robinson
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Michael Keaton has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
44 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
26 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Toy Story 3
as Ken (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Jackie Brown
as Ray Nicolette
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Worth
as Kenneth Feinberg
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Pacific Heights
as Carter Hayes
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Spider-Man: Homecoming
as Adrian Toomes / Vulture
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
The Flash
as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
First Daughter
as President Mackenzie
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Toy Story 3
as Ken (voice)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Harvey Keitel
Works with the same directors — Quentin Tarantino
David Krumholtz
Built a career in the same territory: action and adventure
Have your say
Community
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Reference
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