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Keira Christina Knightley (born 26 March 1985) is a Golden Globe-, BAFTA- and Academy Award-nominated English film and television actress. She began her career as a child actress, and came to international prominence in 2003, after co-starring in the films Bend It Like Beckham and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Knightley has since become a notable lead actress, having appeared in several Hollywood films and earning an Academy Award nomination for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Thanks to her standout performance in the surprising hit “Bend It Like Beckham” (2002), unknown actress Keira Knightley vaulted to the attention of moviegoers outside her native England. Prior to her playing a young semi-pro soccer player who befriends an Indian girl more interested in joining the team than following her parent’s traditional ways, Knightley had already amassed a long list of film, television and theater credits, including a famed albeit brief appearance in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999) as Sabe, Natalie Portman’s decoy queen. But it was the juggernaut pirate adventure “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003) and its two sequels, “Dead Man’s Chest” (2005) and “At World’s End (2007), that cemented Knightley as a truly international star, able to hold her own with the likes of Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Not one to be pigeonholed, however, she broadened her range in 2005, starring as the headstrong Elizabeth Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice,” a role that earned Knightley her first Oscar nomination and demonstrated that she was more than just a pretty face in the midst of testosterone-fueled action movies. Knightley was born in Teddington, Middlesex England, the daughter of Sharman Macdonald, a Scottish award-winning playwright, and Will Knightley, an English theatre and television actor. She has an elder brother, Caleb, who was born in 1979. Knightley lived most of her life in Richmond, attending Teddington School and Esher College. Knightley came from an entertainment family. Her father, Will Knightley, was a television and stage actor; her mother Sharman MacDonald was an actress, playwright, and novelist. Plagued by dyslexia as a child, Knightley worked hard to achieve good grades so that she could convince her parents to allow her to pursue acting, which was her main goal from a very early age – enough that she asked for an agent at the age of three. By the age of seven, she had made her television debut with a bit part in “Royal Celebration” (1993), and over the next few years appeared in several noteworthy English television movies, including the noteworthy “Coming Home” (1998), an adaptation of Rosamunde Pilcher’s novel about two English families caught up in World War II, starring Peter O’Toole and Joanna Lumley. In 1998, her resemblance to actress Natalie Portman earned her the role of Sabe, the handmaiden double to Queen Amidala, in “Star Wars: Episode One The Phantom Menace.” In an amusing bit of ballyhoo, director George Lucas did not reveal that Knightley was doubling for Portman in certain scenes until after the film was released. Additionally, the two actresses looked so much alike when in the Japanese-inspired makeup, that their own mothers could not tell them apart. Knightley has dyslexia, but nevertheless was successful in school and was thus permitted to acquire a talent agent and pursue an acting career. Knightley has noted that she was "single-minded about acting" during her childhood. She performed in a number of local amateur productions including After Juliet (written by her mother) and United States (written by her then drama teacher, Ian McShane, no relation to the Deadwood actor). Knightley appeared in several made-for-television films in the mid to late 1990s, before being cast as Sabé, Padmé Amidala's decoy, in the 1999 science fiction blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Knightley was cast in the role due to her close resemblance to Natalie Portman, who played Padmé; the two actresses' mothers had difficulty telling their daughters apart when the girls were in full makeup. Knightley returned to more English television productions until 2001, when she earned a substantial role in the UK theatrical feature, “The Hole” (2001), a psychological thriller co-starring American actress Thora Birch. The film, which had a direct-to-video release in the States, featured a brief topless scene from the then-15-year-old Knightley. That same year, she also made her debut as a lead actress in the Walt Disney TV movie “Princess of Thieves,” playing the teenage daughter of Robin Hood. During this time, Knightley was also studying in school, and while finishing her exams in 2001, filmed “Bend It Like Beckham,” a charming comedy-romance about an Indian girl (Parminder Nagra) whose love for soccer clashes with her family’s traditional beliefs. Knightley played Nagra’s friend, who struggles with her own family issues, including her mother (Juliet Stevenson) wanting her to act more feminine. The two girls’ issues struck a chord with world audiences and critics took notice of Knightley’s ability to play drama and comedy, as well as act believably physical in the sporting scenes. Knightley, however, continued to pursue her college studies and take the occasional role in UK features like “Pure” (2002), about drug addicts in a star-crossed romance. Knightley's first starring role followed in 2001, when she played the daughter of Robin Hood in a made-for-television Walt Disney Productions feature, Princess of Thieves. During this time, Knightley also appeared in The Hole, a thriller that received a direct-to-video release in the United States. She appeared in a mini-series adaptation of Doctor Zhivago that first aired in 2002 to mixed reviews but high ratings. Knightley's breakthrough role was in the football-themed film, Bend It Like Beckham, which was a success in its August 2002 UK release, grossing $18 million, and in its March 2003 U.S. release, grossing $32 million.[5] After Bend It Like Beckham's UK release raised her profile, she was cast in the big budget action film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (along with Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp) which was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and opened in July 2003 to positive reviews and high box office grosses, becoming one of the biggest hits of summer 2003 and cementing Knightley as the new "It" girl. Knightley’s collegiate life came to an end soon afterwards when a conversation with television producer Andy Harries convinced her to take up acting full time. Her first job out of the box offered a distinct challenge a television adaptation of “Doctor Zhivago” (2002), for which she would play Lara, a role made iconic by Julie Christie in the 1965 film version. She followed this with a small and somewhat underwhelming role in the portmanteau feature, “Love, Actually” (2003), in which she played a young bride-to-be whose best man has fallen for her. Packed with starpower including Laura Linney, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and Alan Rickman, the film did well in the United States and furthered Knightley’s ascending star. Knightley had a role in the British romantic comedy Love Actually, which opened in November 2003. Though charismatic, her performance was overlooked in the crowded A-List cast. Her next film, King Arthur, opened in July 2004 to negative reviews. In the same month, Knightley was voted by readers of Hello! magazine as the film industry's most promising teen star. Additionally, Time magazine noted in a 2004 feature that Knightley seemed dedicated to developing herself as a serious actress rather than a film star. Her next two features in America were not hits either – “The Jacket” (2004) was a muddled science fiction thriller with Adrien Brody that showed her knack with an American accent, and “Domino” (2005), based loosely on the life of Domino Harvey, the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey and a professional bounty hunter, was a typically overblown mess from Tony Scott that found Knightley looking extremely uncomfortable while wielding high-powered weaponry. A proposed adaptation of Deborah Moggach’s novel “Tulip Fever” was shut down due to the closure of British tax loopholes for filmmakers, so she returned to more genteel settings with “Pride and Prejudice” (2005), a spot-on adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. Her turn as the free-thinking Elizabeth Bennett, who seeks to determine her own life path, earned her a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination. 2005 would see the release of 3 films, the first of which was The Jacket. The complex thriller starring Adrien Brody was derided by critics as unoriginal, silly and messy. Knightley was taken to task for her American accent but was otherwise dismissed by critics. Next would be Tony Scott's Domino, an action film based on the life of bounty hunter Domino Harvey. The film would be Knightley's greatest critical flop to date. Knightley's critics often suggested she was nothing more than a pretty face, which led the young starlet to comment to Elle magazine, “I always feel like I’m the one with everything to prove.” Pride and Prejudice would round out 2005. As iconic Elizabeth Bennet, Knightley would receive the greatest reviews of her career thus far. From Variety: "Looking every bit a star, Knightley, who's shown more spirit than acting smarts so far in her career, really steps up to the plate here, holding her own against the more classically trained Matthew Macfadyen, as well as vets like Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Penelope Wilton and Judi Dench with a luminous strength that recalls a young Audrey Hepburn. More than the older Jennifer Ehle in the TV series, she catches Elizabeth's essential skittishness and youthful braggadocio, making her final conversion all the more moving." The film would gross more than $100 million worldwide and Knightley would earn a Golden Globe nomination and an Oscar nomination (the Oscar ultimately went to Reese Witherspoon). BAFTA's decision not to nominate her drew criticism from Pride and Prejudice producer Tim Bevan. In 2005, Knightley returned to the “Pirates” franchise for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” which scored even higher numbers at the box office, though critics gave the film a solid drubbing for its convoluted plot. The film was shot back to back with a second sequel, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (2007), which was the proposed end of the series, though most in the industry felt that such a money-making engine could not be shut down so easily. Knightley spent most of 2006 filming several future projects, including “The Best Time of Their Lives,” about Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, from a script by her mother. She also earned top marks as “Sexiest Woman” or similar accolades from various “lads” magazines like FHM and Maxim, and attracted considerable attention for posing nude with Scarlett Johansson and the ubiquitous Tom Ford on the cover of Vanity Fair. In 2006, Knightley was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Knightley's biggest financial hit thus far, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, was released on July 7, 2006. On June 3, 2007, Knightley was up for an MTV Movie Award for Best Performance but she lost to her co-star, Johnny Depp. 2007 saw the release of several films starring Knightley: Silk, an adaptation of the novel by Alessandro Baricco, Atonement, a feature film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel of the same name (co-starring James McAvoy, Vanessa Redgrave and Brenda Blethyn), and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which was released on May 24, 2007. Knightley's performance in Atonement began to generate buzz before the film was released; she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the Best Dramatic Actress category for the role, as well as a BAFTA. In the late spring of 2007, Knightley shot The Edge of Love with Cillian Murphy as her husband, Matthew Rhys as her childhood sweetheart, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, and Sienna Miller as Thomas' wife Caitlin MacNamara. This 2008 release was penned by her mother, Sharman Macdonald, and directed by John Maybury. She then began work on The Duchess in which she will play Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire; the film is currently in its post-production stages. She also lends her voice to the forthcoming Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind. As a result of her rapid rise to fame, Knightley has been the focus of significant media attention. She has been described by press reports as "famously open with media," although Knightley herself has stated "I don't talk about my private life." She was ranked #79 by FHM in the magazine's UK Edition 2004 100 Sexiest Women in the World list, #18 in 2005, and was ranked the sexiest woman in the world in 2006. The U.S. Edition ranked her #54 in 2004, #11 in 2005 and #5 in 2006. Knightley appeared nude along with Scarlett Johansson, on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine's March 2006 'Hollywood' issue. In May 2006, Knightley was #9 on Maxim's 2006 Hot 100. Knightley was the celebrity face for the luxury goods brand Asprey, as well as Lux haircare products in Japanese television commercials. In April 2006, she was confirmed as the new celebrity face of Chanel's perfume "Coco Mademoiselle," though the first photo from the campaign was not released until May 2007. She is the subject of Glasgow band Endrick Brothers song "Star of the Silver Screen" featured on their forthcoming album Attraction versus Love. The song was written after a chance meeting at a party in Glasgow during the filming of The Jacket. Her Valentino gown at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards won her much acclaim and even landed her the top spot on Steven Cojocaru's "Best Dressed List" on Entertainment Tonight, while the dress she wore to the 2006 Academy Awards was recently donated to the charity Oxfam, where it raised £4,300. Knightley has warned kids who dream of the celebrity life that it's not all what it seems to be. "It frightens me when kids go, 'I want to be famous.'" In a recent interview with the BBC Knightley said that she feels "de-humanised". She also said that when a person becomes a celebrity, the public doesn't care that the person's life is constantly watched. While she has no current plans to leave the world of film, Knightley has said that she could not imagine subjecting a child to the media. She is quoted as saying; "I'm not planning to have children at the moment... everyone changes, and I'm sure there will be a time I will want to do something different. I could completely see myself moving away from acting" Knightley, who currently lives in London, is dating Rupert Friend. There have been rumours that they are engaged to be married, but Knightley has stated she has no plans to be married in the near future. She has previously dated Northern Irish fashion model Jamie Dornan, as well as actor Del Synnott, who, according to some reports, attempted suicide after their relationship ended, although Synnott and Knightley deny these claims. She has denied rumours she is anorexic, although after her appearance at the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest premiere led to media speculation that her extremely slender figure was due to an eating disorder, she noted that her family has a history of anorexia. Keira then sued the Daily Mail after they claimed she lied about having anorexia; the article said that a teenage girl died from anorexia, indicating that Knightley's physical appearance may have influenced her in some way. She was awarded a settlement for it. In July 2006, Knightley said she has become a workaholic, detailing that "the last five years have blended into one. I can't tell you what was last year and what was the year before" and specifying that she is "working too much" and is "quite frightened that if I continue at this rate I will start to hate what I love." As a result, Knightley may take a one year break from acting to travel and focus on her personal life. Knightley is a lifelong supporter of football team West Ham United F.C., and watches games in her local pub whenever possible. She has said that her favourite book is War and Peace and her favourite film is All About Eve. She is also a big fan of the British soap opera Emmerdale. |
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