With an actor father and a playwright mother, it's no wonder this British beauty decided on a showbiz career. Knightley landed her first professional gig at age 8 and tackled a handful of British film and TV projects throughout the '90s. A small part as Natalie Portman's decoy in
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace won her attention, but her breakthrough came in 2003 when she appeared in the soccer movie
Bend It Like Beckham. Later that year her talent for playing headstrong women (and her athletic figure) were put to excellent use in the adventure film
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which turned her into an international star; she also appeared in two popular sequels. Adept at multiple genres, Knightley effortlessly moved from action flicks (
Domino) to romantic comedies (
Love Actually) to dramas, like 2005's
Pride & Prejudice, which earned her Oscar and Golden Globe nods before she even hit 21, and her performance in the tragic, memorable 2007 film
Atonement also yielded critical praise.
Pride & Prejudice, though, yielded a bit more, as the film also snagged her a boyfriend, costar Rupert Friend. She also became involved in the late 2000s in such causes as the work of Amnesty International and efforts to combat domestic abuse.
Keira Knightley Fast Facts:
- Diagnosed with dyslexia as a child.
- Had her own agent at the age of 6.
- In a 2003 interview on CBBC's Newsround, said she "was a swot. I was always at the front of the class, I always had my hand up. I got all my homework done on time, I never even had a detention!"
- When 2003's Bend It like Beckham became an unexpected hit, she shifted her plans from resuming college and working at a skateboard shop to pursuing a full-time acting career.
- Says she's comfortable showing her body for the camera, but had to use a "butt double" for a lap-dance scene in the 2005 biopic Domino.
- Her multiplex profile soared thanks to her role as Elizabeth Swann in the popular Johnny Depp "Pirates" franchise (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, 2003; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, 2006; Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, 2007).
- Her performance as a soldier's star-crossed lover in the haunting 2007 drama, Atonement, drew deserved critical kudos.
- Active with Amnesty International, hers was the face behind a 2008 effort to promote the human rights organization.
- Keira Knightley Relationships:
- Caleb Knightley - Brother
- Sharman McDonald - Mother
- Will Knightley - Father
- Rupert Friend - Ex-significant Other
- James Righton - Fiancé
- Keira Knightley Awards:
- 2006 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 2005 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 2008 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 2008 People's Choice Awards: Favorite Female Action Star - Winner
- 2007 People's Choice Awards: Favorite On Screen Match Up - Winner
- 2007 BAFTA Awards: Best Leading Actress - Nominee