Daughter of actor Will Knightley and actress-turned-playwright Sharman Macdonald, Keira Knightley was literally born into films. She is known for portraying characters that are stronger and more emotionally evolved than their on-screen male counterparts. Even with a petite frame, Keira has been named among the sexiest actresses of the world, and her gamine outlook makes her a paparazzi favorite.
She came into spotlight with Gurinder Chadha's 'Bend It Like Beckham', but her ticket to stardom was her role as Elizabeth Swann, the lady turned pirate, in the first three installments of 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. The fourth installment, 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides', will be released worldwide on May 20.
Here is a pictorial factfile on Keira who has bid adieu to the 'Pirates' franchise.
Keira Christina Knightley was born on March 26, 1985. 'Keira' literally means 'dark'.
She was interested in acting from an early age. She made her first appearance on TV at the age of seven, in 'Screen One: Royal Celebration '.
She was diagnosed with symptoms of Dyslexia at an early age, though she didn't give the condition a chance to worsen.
She worked extra hard and achieved considerable success in her school, which earned her the parental permission to pursue a career in acting.
Keira's first major role came in the TV adaptation of Joanna Trollope's lesbian love story, 'A Village Affair', in 1995; this was followed by multiple small roles on TV. Internationally, she was noticed for her character in George Lucas' 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' (1999).
Says Keira, about her experience with 'Star Wars': I loved the first 'Star Wars' film and my mom was really into it too, that's why I took the part. But the force wasn't there when we were filming it, and they didn't have real light sabers, which annoyed me."
Keira returned to TV with Alan Bleasdale's 'Oliver Twist' (1999), as Rose Fleming. Her first title role came with Walt Disney's 'Princess of Thieves' (2001), in which she played Robin Hood's daughter, Gwyn.
In 2001 came the landmark move, 'The Hole'. This Nick Hamm thriller featured Keira's first nude scene on screen. She was 15 when it was filmed. 'Bend It Like Beckham' was released the same year.
It was 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' that changed the course of her career. The movie made Keira an internationally popular star.
Following the success of 'Pirates...', 'Bend It Like Beckham' was re-released in the US and was declared a hit. Keira was handpicked by Jerry Bruckheimer to play Guinevere in 'King Arthur' (2005).
Keira's performances in films such as 'Pride & Prejudice', 'Atonement', 'Silk' and ' The Duchess' were widely appreciated.
Ever since she happened on screen, Keira has consistently been on "Sexiest Women in the World" lists, brought out by various international magazines.
She dated her 'Princess of Thieves' co-star, Del Synnott, for some time. In August 2003, she met and fell in love with Northern Irish model Jamie Dornan at a photo shoot on Long Island New York; the relationship lasted two years. She then had a long relationship with Rupert Friend, whom she met on the sets of 'Pride & Prejudice'; that one lasted five years.
Tabloids have often commented on Keira's obsession with nudity. Says Keira: "I don`t have a problem with my body. I`m not just going to strip off all my clothing, but if the part calls for it and I don`t think there`s any way round, I`m absolutely fine." She appeared nude, along with Scarlett Johansson, on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine's "Hollywood" issue in March 2006.
Her latest release, 'London Boulevard' (2010), was a decent run at the B.O. She is currently working on David Cronenberg's 'A Dangerous Method', in Vienna.
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