Biography of Keira Knightley

Keira Christina Knightley, a renowned film and television actress, was born on 26th March, 1985 at Teddington in Middlesex, England. A sense of acting was perhaps in her genes as both her parents were associated with this art. Will Knightley was a stage and television actor, while Sharman Macdonald was a playwright of repute. Keira has an elder brother named Caleb, who is about six years older than her.

She spent a considerable part her life in Richmond, where she went to Teddington School and Esher College. Such was her attraction toward acting that she sought an agent for herself from her parents when she was only three. They did not keep her request as they did not like the idea of their daughter following in their footsteps at the time. Keira’s perseverance was, however, rewarded when they finally allowed her one when she was six. In return, Keira, a dyslexic, had to study hard and was permitted to work on productions only if they did not hamper her studies. She then performed in some local amateur productions that helped Keira hone her skills.

The 23-year-old star of successful films such as “Bend It Like Beckham”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” lives in London at present. The grapevine has it that she is seeing Rupert Friend and they are expected to tie the knot soon. Keira, however, denies any such plans. She also denies that she is anorexic, a suspicion aroused by her extremely slender figure believed to be the result of an eating disorder. Keira filed a case against the Daily Mail after an article published in the newspaper said that a teenage girl died from anorexia, indicating that Keira’s physical appearance may have influenced her in some way. She won a settlement for it. Keira once said she was working too much and needed a break to recharge her batteries.

Keira is a diehard supporter of the English soccer team West Ham United, and watches games in her local pub whenever she finds time. Her favorite book is Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and her favorite film is All About Eve. She also loves to watch the British soap opera Emmerdale.

Career history

Keira was nine when she completed her first film in 1994, “A Village Affair” by Moira Armstrong in which she played the role of Natasha Jordan. A number of small roles in other productions followed till she received her first high profile role 1999. Keira was given the role of Sabe, the decoy queen in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The makers of the film kept Keira’s part secret till the movie was released and Natalie Portman was promoted as having played the roles of both the real and decoy queens. Many still believe that it was Portman who acted in both roles.

Since then, Keira acted in a number of films that include “Princess of Thieves” of Walt Disney Productions made for television audiences in 2001, the series “Oliver Twist” and the thriller “The Hole”. She also played a small role in 'Deflation'. Keira also appeared in a mini-series adaptation of Doctor Zhivago in 2002. It received a mixed response from viewers and critics, but got high ratings.

But it was the director Gurinder Chadha’s soccer-themed film “Bend It Like Beckham” that provided Keira with her first real breakthrough role. The film was a smashing hit everywhere, grossing $18 million after its August 2002 release in the UK and $32m after its March 2003 release in the US. Keira worked hard to fit into her role – she took part in 20 weeks of tough soccer training. Her coach, believe it or not, found her more talented than England striker Michael Owen.

Offers started pouring in after the tremendous success of “Bend It Like Beckham”. She did the role of Louise in 'Pure', and filmed 'Love, Actually' alongside Liam Neeson and Hugh Grant. Her next film, “King Arthur” released in July 2004 but failed to get a positive response. But the readers of “Hello!” named her the most promising teen star of the film industry.

Keira’s next big budget action film was “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”. She co-starred with Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp in the film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer released in July 2003. It got both critical acclaim and box office success, going on to become one of the biggest hits of 2003.

The year 2005 witnessed the release of three of her films: “The Jacket”, “Domino” and “Pride and Prejudice.” “The Jacket” was a thriller in which she co-starred with Adrien Brody. The film as well as Keira was dismissed by the critics. “Domino”, an action film directed by Tony Scott and based on the life of bounty hunter Domino Harvey, was also a great flop and rubbished by critics. But the role of Elizabeth Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice” got her rave reviews from all quarters. The film went on to gross over $100 million worldwide and she got a Golden Globe nomination and an Oscar nomination for her superb performance. In 2006, Keira got an invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Keira had her greatest financial hit in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest” that was released on July 7, 2006. In 2007, she was up for an MTV Movie Award for Best Performance but eventually lost to her “Pirates” co-star, Johnny Depp. In 2007, a number of films starring Keira were released. Among them were “Silk”, an adaptation of an Alessandro Baricco novel, “Atonement,” a feature film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel of the same name. “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End” was released on May 24, 2007. Her performance in “Atonement” got her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award in the Best Dramatic Actress category, as well as a BAFTA. She later acted in “The Edge of Love”, penned by her mother Sharman, and co-starring Cillian Murphy, Matthew Rhys and Sienna Miller.

The beautiful 23-year-old actress has already caught the imagination of moviegoers with her immense talent. Keira Knightley looks poised for even greater things.