Veteran actor and all-around awesome personMichael Keatonturns 69 years old today, and fans of theBatmanstar are celebrating by remembering his most favorite roles. There’s certainly no shortage of memorable performances to choose from when it comes to Keaton’s career, though debuting as the Dark Knight in Tim Burton’sBatmanjust might be the most popular of them all. It was a role Keaton would reprise for just one sequel before passing on the cape and cowl to Val Kilmer, but not before making himself synonymous with the DC superhero.

Keaton may have moved on to do a lot of great work since he last officially fought crime as the caped crusader in 1992’sBatman Begins, but for legions of fans across the world, he still remains thedefinitive Bruce Wayne. Many actors have had a turn playing Batman in the years since, with some getting the chance to do so throughout multiple movies, but there will just never be any replacing Keaton for some longtime DC movie fans. With the appreciation for Keaton’s Batman just as strong in 2020 as it was three decades ago, it only made sense for him to reprise the role in 2022 with the release ofThe Flash.

Knowing that Keaton’s long-awaited return to the dark tights is on the horizon, many fans are expressing their admiration for hisBatmanwork in honor of his special day. “Happy birthday Michael Keaton who will always be THE Batman (Yeah, Adam West was first and Christian Bale was iconic, but Michael Keaton was my childhood),” one fan notes. Referring to Keaton’s upcoming return to the role inThe Flash, another tweet notes, “Happy 69th birthday to Michael Keaton, the Batman of both past and present!”

As amazing asBatmanmight be, some fans love Keaton just as much (if not more so) for his role inBeetlejuice, another popular andiconic Tim Burton movie. The role was about as far removed from Bruce Wayne as one could get, and yet Keaton still managed to bring that role to life in a completely different way. “Beetlejuiceis one of my fave films,” tweets one fan, who also adds, “It’s hard to pick the Michael Keaton fave. He’s just a genius! Happy Birthday, Michael Keaton.”

More recently, Keaton wowed audiences when he appeared in the 2014 movieBirdman, which earned him a Best Actor Golden Globe along with a Best Actor Oscar nomination. He also appeared as thesupervillain Vulturein

Spider-Man: Homecoming in another very memorable performance. Online, fans are celebrating all of these roles and more, which also includes the voice of Ken inToy Story 3, a talking snowman inJack Frost, and even a group of Keaton clones in the classic comedyMultiplicity.

In addition toThe Flash, Keaton is also set to star inThe Trial of the Chicago 7along with Sony’s upcoming Marvel movie based onMorbius, the Living Vampire. This gives us plenty for fans to look forward to, but for now, let’s celebrate his special day by revisiting some of his greatest work from the past. You can check out some of Keaton’s birthday tributes from social media below. Happy birthday, Michael Keaton!

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