KEIRA KNIGHTLEY

Biography

Keira Knightley was born on March 26, 1985, to actor/playwright parents in Teddington, Middlesex, England. At 3 years of age, she asked her mother for an agent, feeling jealous that she never received the same amount of calls her parents did. At age 6, the Knightleys agreed to let their daughter have an agent provided that she studies every day during the summer holidays.

This was no small feat for the young Keira Knightley who is dyslexic, but she persevered. Although her parents envisioned a more secure career for their daughter, Keira Knightley 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.

keira knightley in star wars
Pursuing artistic integrity and the satisfaction derived from playing different characters, Keira 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.

Thanks to hard work, and a close resemblance to star Natalie Portman, Keira 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, Keira landed a role in an Oliver Twist TV miniseries portraying Rose Fleming.

keira knightley appears in 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. This was all before her 18th birthday.

keira knightley stars in bend it like beckham
It was her other project in 2002, however, 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 (2002). No longer an underground hit, the film made it big at the North American box office. Thanks to Keira 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 knightley 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 Keira 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 was a summer 2004 release.

keira knightley is named no. 39 in 2008 top 99
In 2005, Keira Knightley added The Jacket, costarring Adrien Brody, to her resume, as well as Pride and Prejudice, for which she garnered a Best Actress nomination from the Academy Awards in 2006.

2006 also saw her in the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, and in 2007 Keira Knightley appeared in the third installment of Pirates with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, the critically acclaimed Atonement and the historical drama Silk.

The following year, Keira Knightley expanded her resume even further as she was ranked No. 39 on AskMen.com's Top 99 list of Most Desirable Women.

keira knightley in the edge of love
In 2008, Keira Knightley appeared in two flicks -- The Edge of Love and The Dutchess.