Keira Knightley 1985 40
Keira Knightley 1985 40
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.
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Popularity66
Credits6.7
Rating77.3M
Budget304M
RevenueActing
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Credit 66
2025 The Woman in Cabin 10 as Laura 'Lo' Blacklock
2025 Conception
2024 The Sound Collector as Narrator
2023 Boston Strangler as Loretta McLaughlin
2022 Charlotte as Charlotte Salomon (voice) Executive Producer
2021 Silent Night as Nell
2020 Misbehaviour as Sally Alexander
2019 Berlin, I Love You as Jane
2019 Greed as Self
2019 Official Secrets as Katharine Gun
2019 The Aftermath as Rachael Morgan
2018 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms as Sugar Plum Fairy
2018 Colette as Colette
2017 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales as Elizabeth Swann
2017 Red Nose Day Actually as Juliet
2016 Collateral Beauty as Amy Moore
2015 Everest as Jan Arnold
2014 The Imitation Game as Joan Clarke
2014 Laggies as Megan Burch
2014 Begin Again as Gretta James
2014 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit as Cathy Muller
2013 Once Upon a Time... as Gabrielle Chanel
2012 Wide-Awake as The Witch
2012 Stars In Shorts as Woman
2012 Anna Karenina as Anna Karenina
2012 Seeking a Friend for the End of the World as Penelope "Penny" Lockhart
2011 A Dangerous Method as Sabina Spielrein
2010 London Boulevard as Charlotte
2010 Last Night as Joanna Reed
2010 Never Let Me Go as Ruth C.
2010 Steve as Woman
2009 The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers as The Fairy
2008 The Duchess as Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
2008 The Edge of Love as Vera Phillips
2007 Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind as Em (voice)
2007 Silk as Hélène Joncour
2007 O2 Wireless Festival Presents: Daft Punk Live as Self (Patron)
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End as Elizabeth Swann
2007 Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens as Self
2007 Atonement as Cecilia Tallis
2006 According to Plan: The Making of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' as Self
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest as Elizabeth Swann
2005 Domino as Domino Harvey
2005 Pride & Prejudice as Elizabeth Bennet
2005 The Jacket as Jackie Price
2004 Stories of Lost Souls as Leah
2004 The Making of King Arthur
2004 King Arthur as Guinevere
2003 An Epic At Sea: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl as Self
2003 Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates
2003 Love Actually as Juliet
2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl as Elizabeth Swann
2002 The Seasons Alter as Helena
2002 New Year's Eve as Leah
2002 Pure as Louise
2002 Thunderpants as Music School Student
2002 Bend It Like Beckham as Juliette 'Jules' Paxton
2001 The Hole as Frances 'Frankie' Almond Smith
2001 Princess of Thieves as Gwyn
2001 Deflation as Jogger
1999 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace as Sabé
1998 Coming Home as Young Judith
1996 The Treasure Seekers as The Princess
1995 Innocent Lies as Young Celia
1995 A Village Affair as Natasha Jordan
1993 Royal Celebration as Angela