Keira Knightley Biography

Keira Knightly, actress

Birthdate: March 26, 1985

Birthplace: Teddington, London, England

Sign: Aries

British actress Keira Knightly grew up knowing she wanted to be an actress. But with a mother who was a playwright and a father an actor, her parents were hesitant to let her join show business until she finished her education.

Knightly, who has dyslexia, continued her studies and at age 12 made her debut in a romantic drama "A Village Affair." She continued in other roles, including made-for-TV features.

Her first break came when she was cast at the decoy queen in "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace." Knightly's resemblance to actress Natalie Portman, who portrayed the queen, was so striking that her mother wasn't able to tell them apart.

Knightly's breakthrough role came in 2002 when she starred in the comedy drama "Bend It Like Beckham." Although she had a supporting role, she stole every scene and became an overnight sensation.

Her success rose to an all new level the following year, however, when she starred as Elizabeth Swann in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" opposite Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom.

She also appeared in both sequels to the first movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

She had a few memorable flops in 2004 and 2005 with "King Arthur" and "Domino." But her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 "Pride and Prejudice" brought her critical acclaim and she was nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 2007, Knightly was again nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama with her portrayal of Cecilia Tallis in the movie "Atonement."

Knightly was born March 26, 1985 in Teddington, London, England to Will Knightly and Sharman Macdonald. She has an older brother named Caleb. She attended Teddington School and Esher College.

She currently lives in London and is dating Rupert Friend. A media frenzy has surrounded her most of her acting career, and the media continues to claim she is engaged. Knightly, however, says she has no plans in the near future to get married.

Her thin appearance during "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" led the media to speculate that she was anorexic. Knightly insists she is not anorexic but rather a workaholic. An article in the Daily Mail claimed she lied about having anorexia and another girl died because of her statement, indicating Knightly's thin appearance may have influenced the girl in some way.

Knightly sued the Daily Mail and was awarded a settlement.

Knightly has been listed on several 100 Sexiest Women in the World lists and is the celebrity face of several luxury goods. In 2006 she became the celebrity face of Chanel's perfume "Coco Mademoiselle."

Knightly has claimed that she will not have children anytime soon as she can't imagine bringing them into the media circus of her life. She even warns young aspiring actors and actresses that a life in show business isn't all it's cracked up to be.