Keira Christina Knightley (born March 26, 1985) is an Academy Award-nominated English actress.

Early life

Knightley was born in Teddington, Middlesex, England. She is the daughter of Sharman Macdonald, a Scottish playwright, and Will Knightley, an English actor. Knightley has lived most of her life in Richmond upon Thames.

Career

Knightley started to follow in her parents' footsteps at an early stage, making her film debut at the age of nine in A Village Affair (1994). Her first major theatrical appearance was as Sab�, Padm� Amidala's decoy in the 1999 release Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Knightley was cast because of her close resemblance to Natalie Portman, who played Padm�. Her resemblance of Portman was so convincing in the pasty white make-up, that Portman's own mother was fooled, as she once approached Keira thinking she was Natalie. Her first major starring role was as the daughter of Robin Hood in a made-for-TV Walt Disney Productions feature, Princess of Thieves, first telecast in 2001.

Knightley is best known for her breakthrough roles in Bend It Like Beckham and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Bend It Like Beckham was especially physically demanding for Knightley in terms of the intense football training she underwent but opened the way for her into Hollywood. Her role in the blockbuster Pirates cemented her up-and-coming position in international cinema.

In 2004 Knightley appeared in the blockbuster King Arthur which, although criticised for its numerous historical inaccuracies, was praised by critic Roger Ebert for "the considerable production qualities and the charisma of the actors, who bring more interest to the characters than they deserve", Knightley being described as looking "simultaneously sexy and muddy" fitting in with the current vogue for strong female action heroes (something which Knightley repeated in a modern setting in the 2005 film Domino).

Knightley's dedication to developing herself as an actress rather than a movie star was noted by Time magazine in a 2004 feature. In July 2004, Knightley was voted by readers of Hello! magazine as the movie industry's most promising teen star. Additionally, Knightley was voted the sexiest movie star of all time by the readers of Empire magazine, leaving behind other stars such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot.

In 2005, Knightley starred in the title role of Tony Scott's film Domino inspired by the life of his friend Domino Harvey, a British born model-turned-bounty hunter. Ebert commented that, although the movie is "fractured and maddening" it is also "alive", praising Knightley for her ability to play a diversity of roles. In contrast to Knightley's role in the same year of the regency englishwoman Elizabeth Bennet in a film adaption of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with Donald Sutherland and Matthew Macfadyen. Recently opening at No.1 in the UK box office, it is her sixth film to do so in her career, and she received a Best Actress - Comedy/Musical nomination at the 2006 Golden Globes for it. On January 31, 2006, Knightley was announced as a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actress. If Knightley wins, she will become the youngest winner ever of that particular award.

She is currently filming the two sequels to the immensely popular Pirates of the Caribbean series, due for release in the summers of 2006 and 2007 respectively. The filming of Pirates 3 will go on hiatus from March to August 2006 during which time Keira will film Silk, an adaptation of the novella by Alessandro Baricco, opposite Michael Pitt.

Knightley has not failed to impress even off the movie set. Her Valentino gown at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards won her much acclaim and even landed her the top spot on Kojo's Best Dressed List on Entertainment Tonight.

Selected Filmography