CAMBRIDGE, MA (December, 2025) – The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the United States, announces MICHAEL KEATON as the recipient of its 2026 Man of the Year Award. From his iconic performances in Batman, Beetlejuice, Spotlight, and Spiderman: Homecoming, to his Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role in Birdman, the Pudding is proud to celebrate a truly unique and impactful presence in the world of entertainment.
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ Man and Woman of the Year Awards are presented annually to performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment. The Man of the Year award was established in 1967, with past recipients including Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, and last year’s recipient Jon Hamm, the 58th Man of the Year.
The Man of the Year festivities will take place on Friday, February 6th, 2026. The Hasty Pudding Theatricals will host a celebratory roast for Mr. Keaton at 7:00pm and present him with his Pudding Pot at Farkas Hall, the Pudding’s historic home in the heart of Harvard Square since 1888. A press conference will follow the roast at 7:20pm. Afterwards, Mr. Keaton will attend the premiere of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 177th production Salooney Tunes.
“He was Batman, then Birdman, and now, most importantly, he’s a Pudding man!” said Producer Eloise Tunnell. “Keaton is no stranger to being a superhero, but let’s see if that training earns him a Pudding Pot. We cannot wait to welcome him on February 6th: until then, don’t say his name three times!”
“We are beyond thrilled to honor Michael Keaton as our 2026 Man of the Year,” said President and Man of the Year Coordinator Daisy Nussbaum. “The Pudding has big plans for Keaton on the Farkas Hall stage. We know he can handle the Joker, but let’s see if he can handle the jokes.”
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Academy Award®-nominated and Emmy Award®-winning actor Michael Keaton has created some of the most iconic, diverse and beloved performances of all time. He is one of the few leading men whose films, SPOTLIGHT and BIRDMAN, won the Academy Award® for Best Picture back-to-back and the actor made history after winning three SAG Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7).
Recently, Keaton starred in and directed the short film SWEETWATER, which tells the story of a man who visits his childhood home and discovers a hologram of his deceased celebrity mother. Written by his son, Sean Douglas, the film is part of a Google initiative funding short films about AI that aim to portray the technology in a less frightening, more human light.
Keaton’s performance as “Dr. Samuel Finnix” in the Hulu limited series DOPESICK of which he starred in and executive produced, earned him the rare accomplishment of winning all five major television awards in a single awards cycle, including the Golden Globe®, Screen Actors Guild®, Television Critics Association Award®, Critic’s Choice, and the renowned Emmy® award for Lead Actor in a Limited Anthology Series or Movie. In addition, he accepted the Peabody Award on behalf of DOPESICK for their excellence in entertainment.
In 2015, Keaton starred in the Academy Award®-winning Best Picture SPOTLIGHT, the compelling true story of how The Boston Globe uncovered a massive scandal within the Catholic Church. The ensemble cast won a SAG award for their collective work in the film. In Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s BIRDMAN, Keaton amassed high praise for his role as “Riggan”, a one-time celebrated, now washed-up actor battling to regain his ego and career by mounting a Broadway production. For his work in BIRDMAN, Keaton was nominated for an Academy Award® and won the Golden Globe®, Independent Spirit and National Board of Review Awards for Best Actor as well as many other nominations and honors.
In one of Hollywood’s greatest collaborations, Keaton has worked with the visionary filmmaker Tim Burton five times beginning with the beloved classic BEETLEJUICE. Their work continued with Keaton in the title role on blockbusters BATMAN and BATMAN RETURNS, Walt Disney Studios’ DUMBO, and 35 years later in BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE where Keaton reprised his iconic role. BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE became Tim Burton’s highest-grossing film at opening weekend and went on to rank in the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2024 at the US box office.
Additional credits include his portrayal of former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark in Aaron Sorkin’s THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 for which he received a SAG award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast; “Vulture” in the fan-favorite SPIDERMAN: HOMECOMING; starring alongside Amy Ryan and Stanley Tucci in WORTH; a legendary CIA trainer in AMERICAN ASSASSIN; his portrayal of Ray Kroc, the father of McDonald’s, in THE FOUNDER; as intrepid CNN reporter Robert Weiner in HBO’s LIVE FROM BAGHDAD, and Universal’s thriller WHITE NOISE and GAME 6. Keaton first achieved national attention with the hit comedy NIGHT SHIFT, followed by starring roles in such popular films as MR. MOM, JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY, THE DREAM TEAM, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, MULTIPLICITY, and THE OTHER GUYS. Keaton directed, produced and starred in the noir thriller KNOX GOES AWAY and produced and starred in Hallie Meyer-Shyer’s GOODRICH.
