Keira Christina Righton (born March 26, 1985) is an English actress who has appeared in a number of films. She has been in both independent films and big-budget blockbusters, and she is best known for her parts in historical dramas, which she has performed in a number of times.
Her accomplishments include two Empire Awards and nominations for two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and one Laurence Olivier Award.
She has also received two nods for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Knightley was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours for her services to drama and charity.
Knightley, who was born in London to actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald, signed with an agent when she was six years old and began working in commercials and television productions. Sabé, Padmé Amidala’s handmaiden, was her character in the science fiction film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, in which she also appeared (1999).
Knightley had a breakthrough role as a tomboy footballer in the sports film Bend It Like Beckham, which was her first major cinematic role (2002). In the fantasy swashbuckler series Pirates of the Caribbean, she rose to international prominence as Elizabeth Swann, a role she played to perfection. During the same year, she starred in the Christmas romantic comedy Love Actually (2003), which earned her the reputation of being a potential adolescent star.
Elizabeth Bennet in the historical romance Pride & Prejudice (2005) earned Knightley an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and she went on to win the award. At the time of her nomination, she was the third-youngest Best Actress nominee in history.
The Duchess (2008), and the titular socialite in Anna Karenina (2011), Knightley appeared in a number of more period pieces, including Atonement (2007), where she played a complicated love interest, and The Duchess (2008), where she played a tastemaker (2012). Later, she branched out into current dramas, portraying an aspiring musician in Begin Again (2013) and a medical student in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), among others (2014).
Following her role as cryptoanalyst Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game (2014), which earned her a second set of Academy Award and BAFTA nominations, Knightley featured as the titular belle-époque writer in Colette (2018), which received widespread critical praise.
As a performer, Knightley has participated in two West End productions: The Misanthrope in 2009, for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award, and The Children’s Hour, which she appeared in in 2011. Thérèse Raquin, in which she played the title role, premiered on Broadway in 2015, was another notable role for her.
Knightley is well-known for taking a vocal stance on social issues, and she has volunteered significantly with organisations such as Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Comic Relief throughout the years. She is married to musician James Righton, with whom she has two daughters. She has two daughters with James Righton.
Early Life and Education
Keira Christina Knightley was born on March 26, 1985, in the London district of Teddington, to stage actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald. She is the youngest of three children. “Kiera,” the anglicised variant of “Kira,” was intended to be her given name after Kira Ivanova, whom her father liked; but, when she registered her daughter’s birth certificate, her mother accidentally wrote the name incorrectly by placing the e before the letter i. Her father is of English descent, while she has Scottish and Welsh ancestry through her mother.”
Caleb Knightley is Knightley’s older brother.After her acting career came to an end, Macdonald went on to work as a playwright in Los Angeles. As a result of the birth of her brother, Knightley’s parents experienced significant financial difficulties;her father, a “middling” actor, agreed to the birth of a second child on the condition that her mother first sell a script.
Although her parents achieved varied degrees of success in their own fields, this did not hinder Knightley’s interest in the field. Nine years ago, Macdonald began introducing her own children to the theatre and ballet. It was because of this that Knightley became interested in acting.
Teddington School was where Knightley went to school.
She was diagnosed with dyslexia when she was six years old, but she claims that by the time she was eleven, with the help of her parents, “they believed me to have gotten over it sufficiently.” She is still a slow reader, and she is unable to read aloud. Knightley has stated that she is “dedicated to her acting career.” She requested to be represented by an agency, much like her parents, when she was three years old, and she was represented by one when she was six. Because of this, she has been in a number of modest roles in television programmes.
She appeared in a variety of amateur shows in her hometown, including After Juliet, which was written by her mother, and United States, which was written by her acting instructor. During her time at Esher College, Knightley concentrated on art, history, and English literature, but she dropped out after a year to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Although her mother’s acquaintances urged her to attend acting school, she decided against it due to financial and professional considerations.
Career
After signing with an agency when she was six years old, Knightley began appearing in commercials and little television parts.
In 1993, she made her television debut in the episode “Royal Celebration,” which aired on the Screen One television network. Natasha Jordan, an orphaned young girl whose mother is participating in an adulterous affair, was the character she played next in the romantic drama A Village Affair (1995). In the mid-to-late 1990s, Knightley appeared in a number of television films, including The Treasure Seekers (1996), Coming Home (1998), and Oliver Twist (1999). In 1999, she landed the role of Sabé, Padmé Amidala’s handmaiden and decoy, in the science fiction blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
Padmé, played by Natalie Portman, had her lines dubbed over by a voice actor. Knightley was picked in the role because of her striking likeness to Portman; even their respective mothers had difficulties distinguishing their daughters while they were both wearing full make-up.
She starred as the daughter of Robin Hood in the 2001 Walt Disney Productions feature picture Princess of Thieves, which marked Knightley’s debut in the big screen. As part of her preparations for the film, she engaged in several weeks of archery, fencing, and horseback riding training.
During this time, she also starred in The Hole, a thriller that was released in the United States exclusively on video. According to the film’s director, Nick Hamm, she is “a younger version of Julie Christie.” Knightley also starred as Lara Antipova in the Doctor Zhivago miniseries adaption, which received overwhelmingly excellent reviews and great ratings when it was released in 2002. In the same year, Knightley appeared in Gillies MacKinnon’s drama film Pure, in which she played a pregnant heroin addict.
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With Molly Parker and Harry Eden in the lead roles, the picture premiered at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received its world debut. The film’s hindsight reviewer, Carlo Cavagna, praised Knightley’s screen presence, writing, “Although Knightley doesn’t have half of Parker’s skills she has spunk and grit [and] shines brightly in Pure.”
Knightley’s breakout role came when she appeared in Gurinder Chadha’s sports comedy Bend It Like Beckham, which was a box office success in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Knightley starred as Jules, a tomboy football player who struggles against social expectations and who persuades her friend to participate in the sport. The film’s “charming” and “inspiring” nature, as well as its social backdrop and the performances of the cast, shocked critics who praised them for their efforts.
For their performances, Knightley and her co-star Parminder Nagra received critical acclaim around the world.Critic James Berardinelli, who praised the film and its “energetic and likeable” cast, remarked that Knightley and Nagra “brought a lot of spirit to their instantly likeable characters.”
They completed three months of intensive football training under the guidance of English football coach Simon Clifford in order to be ready for their responsibilities. At first, Knightley expressed scepticism about the project, saying in an interview with Tracy Smith, “I remember telling my pals that I was doing this girls’ soccer movie […] and nobody believed it was going to be any good.”
Knightley starred as Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The movie is based on the Disney theme park experience where Jack Sparrow and Will Turner save Swann from 18th-century pirates. Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski chose Knightley for her “unique charm reminiscent of Hollywood’s golden age.” On set, Knightley stood for two days on a plank and refused a stunt double’s invitation to jump off the platform for a scene.Pirates was anticipated to bomb at the box office despite stars like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom and a $135 million budget.
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Knightley was pessimistic. The picture became one of the year’s highest-earning blockbusters, grossing $654 million worldwide. (The New York Times) compared Knightley’s “strident and confident” physique to Nicole Kidman’s, while The A.V. Club described her and Bloom as “attractive leads.”
In 2003, Knightley starred in Richard Curtis’ Christmas romance comedy Love Actually, alongside childhood idol Emma Thompson.
A woman’s best man is secretly in love with her, as played by Keira Knightley.
A “trivial” role, according to Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers,whereas The Guardian’s Megan Conner noted that the film made Knightley a household name.
Love Actually is a modern-day Christmas favourite. Knightley thinks the film’s resurgence in popularity a few years after its premiere is “amazing.”
Knightley’s only feature in 2004 was King Arthur, in which she played Guinevere, a warrior queen and Arthur’s wife.Lengthy training was required for the function. In every scene, she “throw herself bodily into”, according to A. O. Scott. Despite the film’s poor reviews, Knightley’s popularity soared; she was named the industry’s most promising adolescent star by Hello magazine readers and was featured in a Time magazine piece, which claimed that she looked determined to develop as a serious actor rather than a film star.
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