Michael Keaton Named 2026 Man of the Year by Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals has named Emmy-winner Michael Keaton as the recipient of its 2026 Man of the Year Award. The award is 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 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. 

To purchase tickets to the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 177th production, Salooney Tunes, visit here. The show will be performed at Harvard University’s Farkas Hall at 12 Holyoke Street from February 7th to March 8th. The company then travels to NYC for performances on March 13th and 14th. They will then travel to Bermuda for performances from March 18th to 20th. 

“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.” 

About Michael Keaton

Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actor Michael Keaton is known for roles in films like Beetlejuice, Batman, Spotlight, and Birdman. 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. 

Keaton's performance as “Dr. Samuel Finnix” in the Hulu limited series Dopesick earned 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 Emmy award for Lead Actor in a Limited Anthology Series or Movie. 

In 2015, Keaton starred in the Academy Award-winning Best Picture Spotlight, the 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 the film, 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. 

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. The sequel became Tim Burton’s highest-grossing film during opening weekend and went on to rank in the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2024 at the US box office.