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Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley
Born: Mar 26, 1985
Teddington, London, England
Career: 1994-2011
Countries: USA
UK
Genre/Type: Adventure
Romance
Drama
Fantasy
Thriller
Biography by Jason Buchanan
Pixie-ish British actress Keira Knightley went from a relative unknown to a blockbuster leading lady after 2002's sleeper soccer flick Bend It Like Beckham caught on with an international audience. Born in Teddington, London, England, in 1985, young Knightley was enticed by the lure of cinema at an early age. Playwright mother Sharman McDonald and actor father Will Knightley were at first reluctant to let their daughter follow them into show business. Although they would accommodate her wish three years later, their strict demand that their daughter study through school holidays and only take jobs that didn't interfere with her education ensured that Keira would keep her priorities straight.

Trained in dance from an early age, Knightley made her film debut when she was 12 in Moira Armstrong's romantic drama A Village Affair. Gradually climbing the credits with subsequent roles in Innocent Lies (1995) and the made-for-TV features Treasure Seekers (1996) and Coming Home (1998), she got her first big break when cast as the decoy queen in the eagerly anticipated Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Knightley resembled the actual queen (portrayed by Natalie Portman) so much that her mother couldn't distinguish the two and some fans still insist both were portrayed by Portman.

Returning to non-decoy status for the television miniseries Oliver Twist (2000), Knightley stayed with the small screen as Robin Hood's daughter in the 2001 adventure Princess of Thieves. Although audiences would truly begin to take note of her talent in the thriller The Hole that same year, her star-making turn in the sleeper comedy drama Bend It Like Beckham endeared her to audiences everywhere and ultimately served as her breakthrough starring role. Playing the best friend to Parminder K. Nagra, Knightley proved that she could turn what might have been little more than a noteworthy supporting role into a truly spunky, scene-stealing performance.

As Lara Antipova in the 2002 miniseries Doctor Zhivago, Knightley gracefully slipped into a role that was previously made famous by Julie Christie, and the timeless romantic drama proved a hit with U.K. television viewers. With the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, however, the actress was catapulted into an entirely new realm of popularity. Opposite Johnny Depp's truly eccentric portrayal of pirate Jack Sparrow, Knightley charmed as the beautiful young maiden whose blood may hold the key to life for a group of undead pirates.

While King Arthur (2004) and Domino (2005) were high-profile flops, Knightley's status as a movie-star on both sides of the pond was firmly cemented in early 2006 when she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role in 2005's Pride & Prejudice. 2006 also saw the release of the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which was shot back-to-back with the franchise's third entry, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which was scheduled for release in 2007. In the meantime, Knightley forged ahead on the period drama Silk, opposite Michael Pitt.

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Filmography

Movie/Film Released Rating Role Buy
My Fair Lady 2011 Actor [Starring]
Never Let Me Go 2010 Actor [Starring]
Last Night 2009 Actor [Starring]
London Boulevard 2009 Actor [Starring]
The Duchess 2008 Actor [Starring]
The Edge of Love 2008 Actor [Starring]
Atonement 2007 Actor [Starring]
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 2007 Actor [Starring]
Silk 2007 Actor [Starring]
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 2006 Actor [Starring]
Domino 2005 Actor [Starring]
Pride & Prejudice 2005 Actor [Starring]
The Jacket 2005 Actor [Starring]
King Arthur 2004 Actor [Starring]
Love Actually 2003 Actor [Starring]
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 2003 Actor [Starring]
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Some of Keira Knightley's movies are The Edge of Love, Atonement, Pirates of ...
Keira Knightley was born March 26, 1985 in London, England.
Most stars have their own trademark pose on the red carpet. Think Renee Zellweger with her pursed lips looking like she just took a shot of lemon juice, or Lindsay Lohan's classic blowing kiss move . As for Keira Knightley, with her wildl...

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Awards

Year Movie/Film Role
2007 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Atonement Best Actress (Nom)
2007 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Atonement Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (Nom)
2007 Golden Satellite Award Atonement Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (Nom)
2005 National Society of Film Critics Pride & Prejudice Best Actress - Runner-up (Won)
2005 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Pride & Prejudice Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (Nom)
2005 Chicago Film Critics Association Pride & Prejudice Best Actress (Nom)
2005 Online Film Critics Association Pride & Prejudice Best Actress (Nom)
2005 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Pride & Prejudice Best Actress (Nom)
2005 Broadcast Film Critics Association Pride & Prejudice Best Actress (Nom)
2005 London Film Critics Association Pride & Prejudice Best British Actress (Nom)
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