Keira Knightley is an English film and television actress who began her career at a very young age and rose to international fame with Bend It Like Beckham (2002) and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). She became one of the most recognizable actresses of her generation, known for balancing large-scale Hollywood productions with critically acclaimed literary and historical dramas.

Keira Christina Knightley was born on March 26, 1985, in Teddington, Middlesex, England, as the second child of Scottish award-winning playwright and former actress Sharman Macdonald and English stage and television actor Will Knightley. She began her education at Teddington School and later attended Esher College. Despite early struggles with reading and writing, she excelled academically and earned her parents’ permission to join a talent agency at a young age.

Knightley began acting professionally at the age of seven, initially appearing in numerous television productions. Her first television film role came in Royal Celebration (1993), followed by an appearance in the long-running series The Bill in 1995. She appeared in several television films before gaining attention in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), where she played a handmaiden decoy for Queen Amidala. Her striking resemblance to Natalie Portman drew considerable notice.

Her first leading role came in the television film Princess of Thieves (2001), in which she portrayed the daughter of Robin Hood. Around the same period, she appeared in The Hole and the television adaptation of Doctor Zhivago. Her breakthrough arrived unexpectedly with Bend It Like Beckham, directed by Gurinder Chadha, a low-budget sports comedy that became a global success and brought her worldwide recognition.

This success led to her casting as Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Starring alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, the film’s massive box-office success turned Knightley into an international star. She further solidified her reputation in 2005 with three major films: The Jacket, Domino, and Pride & Prejudice. Her performance as Elizabeth Bennet earned her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress.

Throughout the following years, Knightley became particularly associated with period dramas, starring in acclaimed films such as Atonement, The Duchess, and Anna Karenina, the latter released in 2012 and co-starring Jude Law. She continued to alternate between independent films and major studio productions, while frequently appearing on lists ranking the world’s most attractive women.

In 2006, Knightley drew media attention after appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair alongside Scarlett Johansson and Tom Ford. That same year, she was announced as the new face of Chanel fragrance campaigns. In 2013, she married musician James Righton, the lead singer of the band Klaxons, in Mazan, France.

Filmography and Television Work

Actor:
2019 – Official Secrets (Feature Film)
2018 – The Aftermath (Rachael Morgan) (Feature Film)
2018 – The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (Sugar Plum Fairy) (Feature Film)
2018 – Colette (Colette) (Feature Film)
2018 – Berlin, I Love You (Feature Film)
2017 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Elizabeth Swann) (Feature Film)
2016 – Collateral Beauty (Aimee Moore) (Feature Film)
2015 – Everest (Jan Hall) (Feature Film)
2014 – Begin Again (Gretta James) (Feature Film)
2014 – The Imitation Game (Joan Clarke) (Feature Film)
2013 – Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (Cathy Muller) (Feature Film)
2013 – Can a Song Save Your Life? / Begin Again (Gretta) (Feature Film)
2012 – Anna Karenina (Anna Arkadyevna Karenina) (Feature Film)
2012 – Stars in Shorts (Woman) (Feature Film)
2012 – Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (Penny) (Feature Film)
2011 – A Dangerous Method (Sabina Spielrein) (Feature Film)
2010 – Never Let Me Go (Ruth) (Feature Film)
2010 – Last Night (Joanna Reed) (Feature Film)
2010 – London Boulevard (Charlotte) (Feature Film)
2010 – The Beautiful and the Damned (Zelda Sayre) (Feature Film)
2008 – The Edge of Love (Vera Phillips) (Feature Film)
2008 – The Duchess (Georgiana Cavendish) (Feature Film)
2008 – The 80th Annual Academy Awards (Herself) (TV Special)
2007 – Atonement (Cecilia Tallis) (Feature Film)
2007 – Silk (Hélène Joncour) (Feature Film)
2007 – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (Elizabeth Swann) (Feature Film)
2006 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Elizabeth Swann) (Feature Film)
2006 – Stories of Lost Souls (Leah) (Feature Film)
2005 – The Jacket (Jackie Price) (Feature Film)
2005 – Domino (Domino Harvey) (Feature Film)
2005 – Pride & Prejudice (Elizabeth Bennet) (Feature Film)
2004 – King Arthur (Guinevere) (Feature Film)
2003 – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Elizabeth Swann) (Feature Film)
2003 – Love Actually (Juliet) (Feature Film)
2002 – Pure (Louise) (Feature Film)
2002 – Bend It Like Beckham (Jules Paxton) (Feature Film)
2002 – Doctor Zhivago (Lara Antipova) (TV Miniseries)
2001 – Princess of Thieves (Gwyn) (TV Film)
2001 – The Hole (Frances Almond Smith) (Feature Film)
1999 – Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (Queen’s Decoy / Handmaiden) (Feature Film)
1995 – The Bill (TV Series, Episode)
1993 – Royal Celebration (TV Film)

Source: Biyografiler.com