Sean Douglas, 38, is Michael Keaton’s one and only child. While he is renowned for his roles in Beetlejuice, Batman, and Batman Returns, one of his proudest accomplishments is being a father. While accepting his Golden Globe win for Birdman in 2015, he famously gave a super sweet shoutout to his son. “My best friend is kind, intelligent, funny, talented, considerate, thoughtful and … did I say kind?” he said at the time. “He also happens to be my son, Sean. I love you with all my heart, buddy.” Here’s everything you need to know about Michael’s pride and joy.
1. Sean is a songwriter
Sean Douglas has written more hit songs than most music fans are aware. He has worked with artists with a long track record of success like Madonna on her song “Ghosttown,” The Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake and Hilary Duff. He has also worked with newer artists like Jason Derulo on both “Talk Dirty” and “Wiggle,” Fifth Harmony on “Sledgehammer” and Demi Lovato on their hit “Heart Attack.”
Songwriting was something Sean wanted to pursue as early on as high school. He wrote songs for a band he was in but even then, he realized he was destined for something greater. “I realized I could write all these different genres. One of the problems I had in the band was that one morning I’d wake up and want to write a country song — another morning, I’d want to write a rock song,” he told THR. “I realized that I can do something different everyday. And writing for Demi [Lovato] or Jason [Derulo] is like having the greatest megaphone in the world — you say an idea into it, and it comes out as the perfect performance on the other end.”
2. He won a Grammy
Sean is no stranger to the Grammys! He was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Song for writing Thomas Rhett’s hit “Die A Happy Man” in 2016. While he didn’t win the Grammy that year, he win as a part of the producing team for Lizzo’s hit song “‘Cuz I Love You” which won a Grammy in 2017! He also went on to win Single Of The Year at the American Country Awards for “Die A Happy Man.”
3. He has dabbled in acting
Like his famous father, Sean has also dabbled in acting. He appeared on the hit soap opera Days Of Our Lives as Vargas. He has also made cameos in hit TV shows like ER, CSI: Miami, and No Ordinary Family. He is probably best known for voicing Hendricks in the video game Call Of Duty: Black Ops III.
4. He owns historic property
Sean has made good money writing hit songs for A-list artists and he used some of his earnings to purchase a $3.2 million historic compound. The Spanish Colonial home, made almost 100 years ago in 1925, was built in the shape of a U around a courtyard, iron gates and European accents. The 2,939-square-feet home has 4 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. Behind the house is a beautiful patio area and another smaller house that can be used as a guest house or staff house.
5. Sean shares a different last name from his dad Michael
Interestingly, Sean has a different last name than his father Michael. This is because Michael was actually born as Michael Douglas and it’s his legal name but he changed his name in the public eye to Michael Keaton in order to avoid confusion with the other Michael Douglas. However, it has also helped him achieve his goal of not wanting his success purely coming from a family name. In fact, many people have never made the connection that this successful songwriter is related to the A-list actor. After his dad gave him that shout-out at the 2015 Golden Globes, he explained why their relationship was previously uncommon knowledge. “I don’t go out of my way to not talk about it, but I maybe downplay it a bit,” Douglas told Billboard. “That’s sort of the way I was raised, to keep things separate, I guess.”