Prolific actor Michael Keaton, best known for playing titular roles in “Batman” and “Beetlejuice,” has never gotten married again after his ex-wife Caroline McWilliams died of multiple myeloma at 64 years old in 2010.
Keaton was always private about his personal life and rarely opened up about his relationships; thus, not much is known about how he met his fellow actor, McWilliams, whom he married in 1982.
Before becoming a superhero on the big screen, Keaton, whose real name was Michael Douglas, started with minor roles on TV and in films in 1975. He was a puppeteer on “Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood” and got his big break in Hollywood for playing the fast-talking con man, Bill “Blaze” Blazejowski, in the comedy flick “Night Shift.”
Prior to meeting Keaton, McWilliams, who was six years older than her husband, was already an established star in her own right. The Seattle-born actress started her acting career via the soap opera “Guiding Light” in 1969 and was a familiar face on television for playing Marcy Hill in the family sitcom “Soap” and its spinoff “Benson” in the 70s until the early 80s. She was very active on television until 2003 and then went on to direct stage plays.
For eight years, Keaton and McWilliams built a life together and had one son, Sean Douglas, born in 1983. The boy grew up to become a successful and in-demand songwriter and producer.
But Keaton and McWilliams’ marriage crumbled and ended in divorce in 1990. The exes were no longer together when she was diagnosed with a type of bone marrow cancer.
Michael Keaton, Caroline McWilliams (1989), (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Not long after the death of McWilliams, Keaton spoke to Elle and gave fans a small glimpse of his relationship with his ex-wife. He said that his sister and brother told him that losing an ex-spouse is “harder than you think,” and he agreed that he had odd feelings about McWilliams’ death.
“Not in a bad way, necessarily, because we had remained close,” Keaton said. “She was a remarkable mom.”
The actor also credited McWilliams for raising their son to be a “great guy” and acknowledged that he maintains a tight bond with Douglas even today because of her. In his Golden Globe speech in 2015 for his performance in “Birdman,” Keaton thanked his “kind, intelligent, funny, talented, considerate, thoughtful” best friend, who happens to be his only son. Keaton is also a dotting grandfather to River, Douglas’ son, with his wife, Rachel Bartov.
After his divorce from McWilliams, Keaton dated Michelle Pfeiffer, his “Batman” co-star, in 1989, and “Friends” actress Courteney Cox from 1990 to 1995, though he never married again. He remains tight-lipped about his romantic life but told The Guardian he used to want more children.
“I wished I’d had more, but then Sean told me he liked being an only child.”
In 2022, Keaton attended the Emmy Awards with his long-time girlfriend, Marni Turner. She gave him a kiss on the lips when Keaton’s name was called for the Best Actor plum for the mini-series “Dopesick.”
Reports cited that the pair have been seeing each other since 2016. Though they rarely have a public outing as a couple, Keaton and Turner have been seen out and about like regular people doing groceries in Los Angeles.
Michael Keaton never talked much about his ex-wife, but he clearly had high regard for her, don’t you agree? What do you think of this story? Tell a Keaton fan by passing this piece along!
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