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Keira Knightley Profile |
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Birth Date: March 26, 1985
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Birth Place: Teddington, Middlesex, England, UK
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Birth Name: Keira Christina Knightley
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Height: 5'7"
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Biography |
Born to actor/playwright parents in Teddington, Middlesex,
England, Keira (who is also sometimes credited as Kiera)
Knightley was born on March 22, 1985. At 3 years old, she
asked her mother for an agent, feeling jealous that she
never received the same amount of calls that her parents
did. At age 6, the Knightleys agreed to let their daughter
have an agent, provided that she'd study every day during
summer holidays.
keira starts out in the uk
This was no small feat for young Keira, who is dyslexic, but
she persevered. Although her parents had envisioned a more
secure career for their daughter, Keira started to get
various acting jobs. Schooling at a nearby comprehensive
establishment remained her focal point, but acting as a
career choice gradually became a reality.
Pursuing artistic integrity and the satisfaction derived
from playing different characters, Knightley's hard work
paid off at an early age. European made-for-TV movies and
shows started to dot her resume by the age of 11, but it was
a stroke of luck that helped her along the way.
keira knightley in star wars
Thanks to hard work, and a close resemblance to star Natalie
Portman, Knightley was cast as Portman's handmaiden in Star
Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. Her small but
memorable performance garnered her attention in Britain and
the U.S. After the release of the film in 1999, Knightley
landed a role in an Oliver Twist TV miniseries, portraying
Rose Fleming.
knightley takes on doctor zhivago
After Star Wars and Oliver Twist, things got even better. In
2001, Knightley starred in the successful British film The
Hole, and spent three months in Slovakia and Prague filming
a 2002 TV version of Doctor Zhivago, in which she played
Lara, the same character Julie Christie played in the famous
1965 version. And this was all before her 18th birthday.
keira stars in bend it like beckham
But is was her other project in 2002 that served as her
breakthrough role. Keira Knightley starred in Bend It Like
Beckham, a hugely popular British comedy whose unexpected
success has been likened to that of My Big Fat Greek
Wedding.
No longer an underground hit, the film made it big at the
North American box office. Thanks to Knightley's portrayal
of a determined soccer player, she can add the British
Newcomer of the Year trophy courtesy of the London Critics
Circle Film Awards, and a Best Actress award by the Bordeaux
International Festival of Women in Cinema, to her mantle.
keira in pirates of the caribbean
The summer of 2003 ushered in the release of the Hollywood
blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black
Pearl, with Knightley as the romantic lead. The British
comedy Love Actually, with a star-studded cast including
Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson, was released in
November 2003, while King Arthur has a summer 2004 release.
keira knightley, new hollywood star
In 2005, she can add The Jacket, co-starring Adrien Brody,
and the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean to her resume --
which means Knightley will be stealing the spotlight for
some time to come.
Barely into adulthood, this hot UK export has already won
over fans across the Atlantic. The many diverse projects she
has lined up prove that she is ready to take the world by
storm, and we're waiting with open arms. For now, she keeps
a level head and lives with her parents in Richmond,
England. |
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Other
Information |
Daughter of actor Will Knightley.
Member of the Heathham House Youth Project.
Younger sister of Caleb Knightley
Trained in dancing.
The similarity between her and Natalie Portman, meant that
during the filming of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom
Menace (1999), their own mothers could not tell them apart
once in makeup.
Her role as the decoy queen in Star Wars: Episode I - The
Phantom Menace (1999) was kept secret in order to not spoil
the surprise, it was maintained through the promotions that
Portman played both the Queen and the decoy.
Supports West Ham United
Mother is actress-turned-author Sharman Macdonald, who wrote
'When I Was A Girl I Used To Scream And Shout' and 'The
Winter Guest'.
Tatler announced that Keira is the most desirable single
woman in the UK (2004).
Has dyslexia. She had to wear special glasses in adolescence
to help her read.
The most glamorous film actress chosen by magazine Glamour
(2004)
The Royal Shakespeare Company of Stratford, England, held a
2004 poll asking movie viewers to vote for the actor and
actress they would love to see play Romeo and Juliet, and
the winners were Knightley and James Marsters. More than
2,000 people voted for more than 150 different actors for
both roles. Keira triumphed over Kate Winslet, Nicole
Kidman, Scarlett Johansson, and Juliet Landau in the vote.
Knightley said, "I am absolutely thrilled to have come top
of the poll, particularly as Juliet is a role I would very
much love to play in the future." (April 23, 2004)
Shares a birthday with actress Amy Smart, Aerosmith frontman
Steven Tyler and singer Diana Ross.
Voted #1 in New Woman magazine's 50 Most Beautiful Celebs
2004.
Was born on same day as poet Robert Frost.
Shares birthday with playwright Tennessee Williams.
Voted The Sexiest Film Star of All Time by Empire magazine
poll. [September 2004]
She did her first nude scene at the age of 16, in The Hole
(2001).
Auditioned for, and was accepted to the London Academy of
Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in London, England.
At 16, she went to Esher College to study for her A Levels,
but quit the course when offered the role of Lara in "Doctor
Zhivago" (2002) (mini).
Voted #18 in FHM 100 Sexiest Women 2005
Credits her dark looks to her mother's Black Scottish
heritage, who were descendants of the Spanish Armada
She's an idol in several forum communities from
Heavengames.com, one of the most famous websites about Real
Time Strategy computer games.
When auditioning for the role of Jackie Price in The Jacket
(2005), she had suffered food poisoning a few days earlier.
She decided to audition anyway and the film makers liked her
"acting" for the scene, as Jackie Price was to be a woman
with many issues of loss and pain as well as being
physically sick in general.
She has bought a flat in Richmond Upon Thames (2005) but has
said to have only have spent a few weeks there. However, she
plans to fill it with her own painted canvases.
Voted second most sexiest voice, behind Sir Sean Connery, in
a poll by the UK's Royal National Institute for the Blind,
commissioned to celebrate 70 years of their Talking Books
service.
Named #53 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.
The Daily Mirror named her "Actress of the Year" in December
2005.
At age 20, she is the third youngest woman to be nominated
for Best Actress in Oscar history.
As of February 2006, says she plans on remaining living in
London and will not move to Los Angeles to further her
career in American films.
Friend of Sienna Miller.
Loves to collect shoes |
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