Keira Knightley Bio...

Keira Knightley Biography

British actress Keira Knightley comes by her theatrical talents honestly. Born March 26, 1985, to an award-winning playwright mother and actor father, Keira began acting at age seven, appearing in various television series and made-for-TV movies throughout her childhood. At sixteen Keira dropped out of school to pursue acting full-time. Despite suffering from dyslexia, she applied herself to her schoolwork and achieved good grades. In exchange, her parents permitted her to obtain an agent and pursue acting.Keira’s first role in a Hollywood blockbuster came in 1999, when she was cast as Sabé, Queen Padmé Amidala’s decoy in the highly anticipated blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Knightley scored the role, which was kept a secret during the lead-up to the film’s release, due to her resemblance to American actress Natalie Portman, who played Queen Padmé Amidala.
Following Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, Keira had her first starring role in Disney’s made-for-TV movie Princess of Thieves in 2001. In 2001’s suspense film The Hole, Keira had her first nude scene at just fifteen. However, it was Keira’s role as the irrepressible tomboy, Jules, in Bend It Like Beckham in 2002 that is widely regarded as her break-out performance. Each week, Keira practiced twenty hours of soccer (called football in the UK) to train for the athletic role.



With her star rising, Keira went on to snag roles in the box-office smash Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003, Love Actually in 2003, King Arthur in 2004, and The Jacketalso in 2004. At her audition for the role of alcoholic Jackie in The Jacket, Keira happened to be suffering from food poisoning. The director thought her pained state enhanced her performance and cast her in the role.
2005 was another busy year for Keira. She starred in Domino, as well as Pride & Prejudice, for which she received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination. Keira is currently dating her Pride and Prejudice co-star and fellow Brit, Rupert Friend. Some of her past relationships include actor Del Synnott and model Jamie Dornan.
In 2006, while promoting the second installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Keira seemed to be suffering from a burn-out. At just twenty-one years old, she voiced concerns that she was working too much, and indicated to the press that she may take a year off from working.
Keira’s model looks have enabled her to score endorsement deals with Lux haircare, Asprey luxury goods, and Chanel, for which she replaced British model Kate Moss as the face of Coco Mademoiselle perfume.
Keira is frequently frank with the press, and has been subjected to scrutiny for her thinness and denial of accusations that she suffers from anorexia. She has noted that she does not suffer from the disorder, although both her grandmother and great-grandmother did. She also declared herself an "emotional wreck" in an interview with Elle magazine, and clarified "I don’t have any tits" after seeing her cleavage digitally enhanced on promotional posters in the U.S. for King Arthur. Given Keira’s admittedly boyish figure, many found it ironic when buxom British model and singer Katie Price (known asJordan) revealed that she would like to have Keira play her in an upcoming biopic.



In May 2007 Keira made a return to the big screen as the beautiful Elizabeth in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: 'At World's End' which also starred Orlando Bloom as her love interest, Johnny Deppas Jack Sparrow, Keith Richards, as Jack's father and Bill Nighy as Davey Jones. With his naturally rugged looks Keith was the ideal ‘father’ to Johnny’s Jack.
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