Actor Michael Keaton praised basketball great Michael Jordan for his efforts to improve relations between black people and the police as he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The former Batman star hailed Jordan for his two-million dollar donation to help build trust between African-American communities and law enforcement officials following a series of deadly shootings in America.

Jordan, who has faced criticism in the past for not speaking about social justice issues, revealed on Monday he will give a million dollars to the Institute for Community-Police Relations and another million dollars to the NAACP Legal Defence Fund, a leading US civil rights law organisation.

Michael Keaton signs autographs as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Michael Keaton signs autographs as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Nick Ut/AP)

Keaton, 64, thanked the Los Angeles Police Department as he was presented with a star on Hollywood Boulevard, saying the force had been “great” at a time when “things are really, really tough right now”.

He said: “I’m going to throw this in, whether people like it or not, my friend Michael Jordan just made a huge donation in terms of police and minority communities.

“I’m going to thank him myself. I don’t care if people say he took too long to do it. The fact is he did it.”

Michael Keaton
(Nick Ut/AP)

Keaton, who was a vocal supporter of Bernie Sanders’ bid to become the Democratic presidential nominee, said he felt “good” about Hillary Clinton securing the nomination as she prepares to take on Republican Donald Trump in the US election.

“Sometimes you have to play defence,” he told the Press Association. “If you’re a footballer, sometimes you just need a good goalie to get you to the next level.”

Keaton said he felt embarrassed listening to praise from guest speakers including his son Sean and film director John Lee Hancock, before describing himself as a “pretty damn good” actor.

Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton (Nick Ut/AP)

“How I grew up, speaking about yourself…to any degree was kind of frowned upon,” he said on stage. “It’s so embarrassing to me in a way. I’m embarrassed I’m embarrassed.

“To listen to what’s said about you and to feel at all like you deserve this, is just not the way I’ve ever thought.”

He added: “I always wanted to be good. That’s all I ever really wanted to be – good at what I did. Honestly, to tell you the truth, I think sometimes I am. Sometimes I think I’m pretty damn good.”

Michael Keaton at the 2016 Oscars
Michael Keaton at the 2016 Oscars (Ian West/PA)

Keaton, who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role in the 2014 film Birdman, will appear later this year in the film The Founder, which tells the story of Ray Kroc’s acquisition of the McDonald’s fast food chain.

His star is the 2,585th to be awarded on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.