Actor Michael Keaton honored as Man of the Year by Harvard's Hasty Pudding theater group

BOSTON (AP) — Actor Michael Keaton jousted with an Oscar statue and made burgers Friday night as he was roasted before receiving the 2026 Man of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

The theater group, which dates to 1844 and claims to be the world’s third-oldest still operating, presented Keaton with his Pudding Pot award during the evening celebration. Afterward he attended a performance of Hasty Pudding’s 177th production, “Salooney Tunes.”

Hasty Pudding Theatricals gives out its Man and Woman of the Year awards to people who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.

Keaton, an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning actor, is known for roles in such films as “Batman,” “Birdman,” “Beetlejuice” and “Spotlight.” More recently he starred in and directed the short film “Sweetwater” and starred in and was executive producer on the eight-part Hulu miniseries “Dopesick.”

The ceremony opened with Keaton donning a Batman costume and chasing after an Oscar statue — a nod to the fact he never won one, though he was nominated in 2015 for “Birdman.” Keaton then jousted with the figure before stabbing it after the statue told him, “I thought your performance in ‘Birdman’ was subpar.”

He later was dressed up as a McDonald’s worker, a reference to his role playing Ray Kroc in a movie about the making of the fast food megachain. Armed with a spatula, he served a single customer who increasingly demanded bigger and bigger burgers while Keaton tried his best.

“You didn’t think I could do this. Make a huge burger for the guy,” Keaton said.

Keaton then received his Pudding Pot. After spending the day on campus, he praised Harvard students.

“I'm ridiculously encouraged about this country,” he said. “The older generation not so much. Man, these people I've met are extraordinarily impressive. It's been a ball. Based on these people, we are in good shape folks.”

Afterward he took questions from reporters and recalled his time working with Catherine O’Hara, the Canadian-born comic actor and “SCTV” alum who died last week. Keaton starred alongside O'Hara in “Beetlejuice” and “The Paper,” along with the small movie “Game 6,” in which she played the ex-wife of Keaton's character.

“I was just always a giant fan like everyone else,” Keaton said while recalling the early days of her career. “What was great about Catherine’s career to me was ... inside the comedy world, she was already kind of a goddess. ... She wasn’t really famous or anything, but we all knew how brilliant she was and how great she was and what a nice woman she was. And so then it started to take off for her.”

Keaton also recalled how much he came to admire Kroc in the making of the movie and made sure Kroc understood they would not “sugarcoat” or “soften” his portrayal.

Keaton added that for all Kroc's faults, “He was an unbelievably hard worker. That was the thing I hung on to, that determination.”

Actor Jon Hamm won the award last year. Other recent honorees have included Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds.

Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year, which dates to 1951, will be awarded Feb. 13 to Australian actor Rose Byrne.

Friday's event comes days after the Justice Department released a huge trove of records surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, a longtime donor to the organization. The documents provided new details about the amount of money Epstein had given to Hasty Pudding roughly between 2013 and 2019, regularly donating $50,000 each year to secure top-tier donor status and receiving perks of free tickets and other gifts in return, totaling more than $300,000.

The donations were made through the Jeffrey Epstein Virgin Islands Foundation and Gratitude for America, a charity affiliated with Epstein.

In an undated news release announcing Epstein's donations, Hasty Pudding officials described Epstein as a “well-known science and Harvard philanthropist” and said he “put his substantial support behind Harvard’s famous and oldest theatrical troupe.”

A spokesperson for Hasty Pudding directed questions to Andrew Farkas, chairman of the Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770, which includes the theatrical group. Hasty Pudding organizers did not address the Epstein donations during Keaton's news conference.

Actor Michael Keaton holds up his Pudding Pot that he received after being named 2026 Man of the Year from Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

Actor Michael Keaton arrives at Harvard University's Farkas Hall for the school's annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year award show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

Actor Michael Keaton participates in a roast at Harvard University's annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year award show at Farkas Hall, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

Actor Michael Keaton arrives at Harvard University's Farkas Hall for the school's annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year award show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

Actor Michael Keaton receives his award during Harvard University's annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year award show at Farkas Hall , Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

Actor Michael Keaton participates in a roast at Harvard University's annual Hasty Pudding Theatricals Man of the Year award show at Farkas Hall, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Leah Willingham)

DENVER (AP) — Brent Burns took a wayward stick to the face while playing for San Jose in October 2013 that ended up costing him teeth and time on the ice.

Since his return — Nov. 21, 2013, to be precise — he's been a permanent fixture in every lineup. Burns, now 41 years old and with the Colorado Avalanche, is set to play in his 1,000th straight regular-season game Saturday at Dallas.

The bearded blueliner has skated through the bumps and bruises that come with delivering checks and deflecting slap shots. So much so that Avalanche coach Jared Bednar can’t wait to one day sit down with Burns and discuss all the ailments that may have kept many a player sidelined for days, weeks and maybe even months.

“He plays through them like it’s not a big deal,” said Bednar, whose team currently owns the NHL's top seed with eight games remaining, including the pivotal contest with the Stars (six points back). “(The streak) is an incredible accomplishment. It’s hard to believe.”

For Burns, it's a streak that's involved plenty of good fortune along the way.

“You've got pucks flying around your head that you don’t see, skates popping up, guys falling on the ice,” Burns said Friday after practice. "There are so many little things that happen 100 times a game. Or you look at your visor after a game, it’s all marked up. It’s a tough game.

"It’s special to think back about some of the games that I went through that I probably shouldn’t have been (in), but I think that’s what makes it special, too. ... A lot of luck — probably why I hate talking about it.”

Burns, who turned 41 on March 9, joined the Avalanche on a one-year deal this season to chase the only thing missing from his resume — a Stanley Cup title.

He's become another leader/mentor on the Avalanche. He still chips in goals, too, on a high-scoring team that boasts Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas. Burns has 11 tallies this season, joining Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom as the only defensemen in league history to notch double-digit goals at 40 or older.

But Burns' specialty remains putting his 6-foot-5, 228-pound frame to good use on opponents who venture into his territory. That’s what makes his streak so remarkable — all the punishment he dishes out and takes. He’s closing in on the all-time ironman streak held by forward Phil Kessel, who played in 1,064 consecutive regular-season games from Nov. 3, 2009, to April 13, 2023.

“What Phil did was incredible,” Burns said. “He’s such a cool character to have that (record), too."

It’s a streak Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog fully appreciates. Landeskog missed three full regular seasons after helping the Avalanche to the 2022 Stanley Cup title because of a lingering knee injury.

“He comes to the rink with a great attitude," Landeskog explained. "He wants to be here. He’s excited to come to work.”

Burns also arrives to the rink lugging around his military-style backpack that’s stuffed with everything necessary to keep him on skates. There’s a cloud of mystery surrounding the precise contents of the heavy pack, though. Whatever it may contain — rumors of recovery gear to his own coffee setup — there's no denying it's become a healing elixir. Burns is in his 22nd NHL season and about to play in his 1,572nd career contest Saturday. The 2016-17 Norris Trophy winner is still averaging nearly 19 minutes a game and has 83 blocked shots this season.

The streak certainly impresses goaltender Scott Wedgewood.

“In my position alone, you’ll do something one game and your hip locks up a little bit,” Wedgewood said. “It’s like, ‘Thank God, I’m not playing the next one. It feels like crap right now.’

“That happens 15 times a year, just on me, let alone taking body checks and slap shots. Playing as much as he does now at that age, keeping that body fresh and everything? He probably wouldn’t be the one to tell you, but he’s probably played through thousands of different nuances.”

Burns made his NHL debut on Oct. 8, 2003, with Minnesota after being a first-round pick by the Wild. He spent seven seasons with Minnesota, 11 in San Jose and three more in Carolina before joining Colorado.

His lone appearance in the Stanley Cup final was in 2016 with the Sharks, where they lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Burns has played in 135 career playoff contests.

His current games streak started Nov. 21, 2013 — he played right wing that season — when he returned from his injury and promptly scored a goal. In his 999th straight game Wednesday against Vancouver, he delivered a goal and an assist to become the fifth different defensemen to notch a 30-point season while in their 40s.

“It’s just ridiculous,” Makar said of the streak before suffering an upper-body injury Monday against Calgary that will keep him out a few games. “For him to be able to go out there every night and make an impact, and not just float around and do the minimum, is pretty spectacular, especially at his age.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome (17) passes the puck against Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (84) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns, left, drives past Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg in the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Brent Burns (84) smiles at his teammates at the end of the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Friday, March 20, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)