Keira Knightley

Biography

Keira Christina Knightley (born March 26, 1985) is an English actress. She has starred in both independent films and big-budget blockbusters, and is particularly noted for her roles in period dramas. Her accolades 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. Knightley was appointed an OBE in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity. Born in London to actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald, Knightley obtained an agent at age six, and initially worked commercials and television films. She appeared as Sabé, Padmé Amidala's handmaiden, in science fiction blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). Knightley had a break-through role portraying a tomboy footballer in the sports film Bend It Like Beckham (2002). She achieved global stardom with her portrayal of Elizabeth Swann in fantasy swashbuckler series Pirates of the Caribbean. In the same year, she appeared in the Christmas romantic comedy Love Actually (2003) and was labelled a promising teen star. For her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in the period romance Pride & Prejudice (2005), Knightley was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. At age 20, she became the third-youngest Best Actress nominee at the time. Knightley starred in a series of further period pieces, portraying a complex love interest in Atonement (2007), tastemaker Georgiana Cavendish in The Duchess (2008), and the titular socialite in Anna Karenina (2012). She then forayed into contemporary dramas, appearing as an aspiring musician in Begin Again (2013) and a medical student in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). Knightley returned to historical films by playing cryptoanalyst Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game (2014), earning her a second round of Academy Award and BAFTA nominations, and starred as the eponymous belle époque writer in Colette (2018) to critical acclaim. On stage, Knightley has appeared in two West End productions: The Misanthrope in 2009, which earned her an Olivier Award nomination, and The Children's Hour in 2011. She also starred as the eponymous heroine in the 2015 Broadway production of Thérèse Raquin. Knightley is known for her outspoken stance on social issues, and has worked extensively with Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Comic Relief. She is married to musician James Righton, with whom she has two daughters.

Known For

Elizabeth Swann

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Elizabeth Swann

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Elizabeth Swann

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Juliette 'Jules' Paxton

Bend It Like Beckham

Frances 'Frankie' Almond Smith

The Hole

Juliet

Love Actually

Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates

Sabé

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Self

An Epic At Sea: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Cecilia Tallis

Atonement

Elizabeth Bennet

Pride & Prejudice

Loretta McLaughlin

Boston Strangler

Gwyn

Princess of Thieves

Music School Student

Thunderpants

Joanna Reed

Last Night

Guinevere

King Arthur

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

The Duchess

Jackie Price

The Jacket

Domino Harvey

Domino

Vera Phillips

The Edge of Love

Ruth C.

Never Let Me Go

Self

According to Plan: The Making of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'

Hélène Joncour

Silk

Angela

Royal Celebration

Sabina Spielrein

A Dangerous Method

Louise

Pure

Charlotte

London Boulevard

The Princess

The Treasure Seekers

Young Celia

Innocent Lies

Leah

Stories of Lost Souls

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina

Penelope "Penny" Lockhart

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Self (Patron)

O2 Wireless Festival Presents: Daft Punk Live

Woman

Stars In Shorts

Cathy Muller

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Joan Clarke

The Imitation Game

Gretta James

Begin Again

Megan Burch

Laggies

Jane

Berlin, I Love You

Self

Greed

Jan Arnold

Everest

Woman

Steve

Self

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens

Amy Moore

Collateral Beauty

The Woman in Cabin 10

The Fairy

The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers

Gabrielle Chanel

Once Upon a Time...

Helena

The Seasons Alter

Sugar Plum Fairy

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

Natasha Jordan

A Village Affair

Jogger

Deflation

Em (voice)

Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind

Rachael Morgan

The Aftermath

Juliet

Red Nose Day Actually

Elizabeth Swann

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Colette

Colette

Leah

New Year's Eve

Katharine Gun

Official Secrets

The Witch

Wide-Awake

Sally Alexander

Misbehaviour

Young Judith

Coming Home

Nell

Silent Night

Conception

Charlotte Salomon (voice)

Charlotte

The Making of King Arthur

Narrator

The Sound Collector