Comprehensive information and links about Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley (born March 26, 1985, Teddington, MiddlesexKeira Knightley is an Academy Award-nominated English actress.

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Personal life

Knightley is the daughter of Sharman Macdonald, a Scottish actress turned award-winning playwright, and Will Knightley, an English theatre and television actor. Knightley lived most of her life in Richmond upon Thames, attending Teddington Secondary School and Esher College. She currently lives in Central London.

Career

Knightley started to follow in her parents' footsteps at an early stage, making her television debut at the age of seven in . Knightley was presumably cast because of her close resemblance to Natalie Portman, who played Padmé. It is rumoured that the two actresses' mothers had difficulty telling their daughters apart when they were heavily made up. Her first starring role was as the daughter of Robin Hood in a made-for-TV Walt Disney Productions feature, 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 cemented her up-and-coming position in international cinema.

In 2004 Knightley appeared in the blockbuster "the considerable production qualities and the charisma of the actors, who bring more interest to the characters than they deserve" fitting in with the current vogue for strong female action heroes. In fact she has developed a reputation for frequently playing tough women getting along in male dominated environment.

inspired by the life of his friend Domino Harvey, a British born model-turned-bounty hunter. The film received mixed reviews but Ebert praised Knightley for her ability to play a diversity of roles.

In contrast, in the same year, she also played regency Englishwoman Elizabeth Bennet in a film adaption of Jane Austen's . Opening at No.1 in the UK box office, it is her sixth film to do so in her career, and she received a nomination at the 2006 Golden Globes for it. On January 31, 2006, Knightley was announced as a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Actress. If Knightley wins, she will become the youngest winner ever of that particular award. She is currently the third youngest nominee for that award.

She is currently filming the two sequels to the immensely popular series, due for release in the summers of 2006 and 2007 respectively. The filming of Pirates 3 will go on hiatus from March to August 2006 during which time Keira will film , an adaptation of the novella by Alessandro Baricco, opposite Michael Pitt.

Knightley's dedication to developing herself as an actress rather than a movie star was noted by 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 magazine, leaving behind other stars such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot.

Knightley has not failed to impress even off the movie set. Her Valentino gown at the 2006 Golden Globe Awards won her much acclaim and even landed her the top spot on Kojo's Best Dressed List on Entertainment Tonight. She appeared nude on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine (March 2006 'Hollywood' issue) with Scarlett Johansson.

Knightley promotes the luxury goods brand