Keira Christina Knightley (born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham. From 2003 her appearances in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series took her to much greater prominence.Knightley has appeared in several Hollywood films and earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. Two years later she again was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, as well as the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Atonement.
In 2008, Forbes claimed Knightley to be the second highest paid actress in Hollywood, having reportedly earned $32 million in 2007, making her the only non-American on the list of highest paid actresses.
Knightley was born in Teddington, London, England, the daughter of Sharman MacDonald, an award-winning playwright, and Will Knightley, a theatre and television actor. Her father is English and her Scottish mother is of half Welsh ancestry. She has an elder brother, Caleb. Knightley, born Kiera, switched her name to Keira to make it easier for international audiences to pronounce.
After getting an agent at 6, she did work mostly on commercials and small TV roles. Her first role was "Little Girl" in Royal Celebration, a 1993 TV movie. A year later, she had a small role in the movie A Village Affair. She later starred in 1995's Innocent Lies and 1998's Coming Home. She was a princess in the 1996 movie The Treasure Seekers. Later in 1999, she appeared as Rose in Oliver Twist.
She appeared in three films in 2005, the first of which was The Jacket, alongside Adrien Brody. She next appeared in Tony Scott's Domino, an action film based on the life of bounty hunter Domino Harvey. The film has been 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."
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." Knightley's look has often been described in publications as gamine.
Knightley has appeared many times in FHMs 100 Sexiest Women in the World list. Ranked No.79 in 2004 she climbed to No.18 in 2005, and was named "the sexiest woman in the world in 2006." In 2007 she was 12th, 10th in 2008 and came 36th in 2009. The US edition ranked her No.54 in 2004, No.11 in 2005, and No.5 in 2006. In May 2006, she was No.9 on Maxim's 2006 Hot 100. She was also named "the number one beauty icon of 2007" by a poll of 2500 people conducted by British high street chain Superdrug.[65][66] Knightley appeared nude, along with Scarlett Johansson, on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine's March 2006 "Hollywood" issue.
Biography | |
| Born | KeiraChristina Knightley 26 March 1985 (age 26) Teddington, London, England |
| Occupation | Actress, model |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Parents | Will Knightley Sharman MacDonald |
Television appearances | |
| Year | Title |
| 1993 | Screen One Royal Celebration |
| 1995 | A Village Affair |
| 1995 | tde Bill |
| 1996 | tde Treasure Seekers |
| 1998 | Coming Home |
| 1999 | Oliver Twist |
| 2001 | Princess of tdieves |
| 2002 | Doctor Zhivago |
| 2003 | Gaijin |
| 2007 | Robbie tde Reindeer in Close Encounters of tde Herd Kind |
| 2011 | Neverland |