Keira Knightley (born March 26, 1985 in Teddington, London, England) is a British actress, the daughter of playwright Sharman Macdonald and actor Will Knightley. She has lived most of her life in Richmond upon Thames.
She 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 part was Sabé in The Phantom Menace, Padmé Amidala's decoy. Knightley was presumably cast because of her resemblance to headliner Natalie Portman.
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.
While Knightley has recently appeared in the blockbuster King Arthur, her 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 some of the hottest Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot.
Beside acting, Knightley is modelling for Asprey, a British luxury items company.
Knightley is trained in dancing and she supports West Ham United, a football (soccer) team.
Knightley suffered from dyslexia as a child but is now largely recovered.
Knightley will be seen in late 2005 starring as Domino Harvey, the famous model-turned-bounty hunter. Knightley also stars in a film adaption of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, playing the lead role of Elizabeth Bennett. It recently opened at No.1 in the UK box office, the sixth Keira movie to do so in her short but incredibly successful career.
She is also currently filming the sequels to the immensely popular Pirates of the Caribbean series, due for release in the summers of 2006 and 2007 respectively.
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