Name: Keira Knightley
Profession: Actress
Birth Date: March 26, 1985
Height: 5' 7"
Keira Christina Knightley was born in Teddington, Middlesex to Sharman MacDonald, a Scottish actress turned award-winning playwright, and Will Knightley, an English theatre and television actor. She has an older brother, Caleb. Knightley lived most of her life in Richmond upon Thames, attending Park Road Secondary School and Esher College.
Knightley began her acting career at the age of seven, making her television debut in "Royal Celebration" (1993) and also appearing on the television series, "The Bill" (1995). She appeared in several more made-for-television films in the mid to late 1990s, before being cast as Sabé, Padmé Amidala's decoy, in the 1999 science fiction blockbuster "Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace." Knightley was cast due to her close resemblance to Natalie Portman, who played Padmé.
Knightley's first starring role followed in 2001, when she played the daughter of Robin Hood in a made-for-television Walt Disney Productions feature, "Princess of Thieves." During this time period, Knightley also appeared in "The Hole," a thriller that received a direct-to-video release in the United States, and in a mini-series remake of "Doctor Zhivago" that was first aired in 2002.
Knightley's breakthrough role was in the English sports-themed film, "Bend It Like Beckham," which became a major success when it was released in the U.K. in August 2002. It also did fairly well at the box office upon its United States release in March 2003, grossing $32 million.
After "Bend It Like Beckham" raised her profile, Knightley was cast in the big-budget action film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," which was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and opened in July 2003 to positive reviews and a high box-office gross. The film became of the biggest hits of the 2003 summer and cemented Knightley as a leading actress.
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