Keira Knightley was born on the outskirts of London on March 26, 1985. In 1999, Keira first appeared on the big screen, starring as Queen Padme’s double in George Lucas’ famous blockbuster Star Wars. Episode I: The Phantom Menace.”
Kira was chosen for this work largely due to her physical resemblance to the main performer of the role of Padme, Natalie Portman.
The actress became widely known thanks to the series of films “Pirates of the Caribbean”, as well as the films “Doctor Zhivago”, “Bend It Like Beckham”, “Pride and Prejudice”, “A Dangerous Method” and “Anna Karenina”.
Doctor Zhivago (2002)
Critics first noticed Keira Knightley as Lara in the British mini-series Doctor Zhivago based on the novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak.
Lara, a charming girl from moscow, is loved by three unlike men. Rich lawyer Viktor Komarovsky, student with Bolshevik ideals Pasha Antipov and Yuri Zhivago – doctor and poet.
And around ordinary people, changing and breaking their destinies, an inexorable history takes its course: the First World War, revolution, 1917, change of power, civil war.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Keira Knightley played a teenage girl in the film Bend It Like Beckham. The film grossed $76 million worldwide. He “recaptured” the amount invested in him more than 20 times. It also brought the actress long-awaited fame.
In the story, a young Indian woman, Jess, loves football. Her idol is David Beckham. And my deepest desire is to learn to play like him. But the girl’s parents dream of a different future for their daughter.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
In 2003, Keira Knightley played the main female role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Appearing on screen in the company of Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom brought the actress very close to Hollywood Olympus.
A little later, the actress starred in the sequels of the popular film, which grossed more than $1.5 billion at the box office. This film also brought Knightley prestigious film awards.
The events of the film begin in the Caribbean in the first half of the 18th century. Captain Jack Sparrow arrives in Port Royal with the intention of stealing a ship and subsequently reclaiming his old ship with black sails, the Black Pearl.
At the same time, the effect of an ancient curse attracts the attention of the legendary crew of pirates of the Black Pearl ship. They land on the island in order to find a mystical coin and remove the spell from the ship belonging to the daughter of the governor named Elizabeth Swann. On the way, the pirates find themselves with the blacksmith’s assistant and dreamer Will Turner.
Love Actually (2003)
The film consists of nine stories that develop in parallel. Each takes place shortly before Christmas, with all plots culminating on Christmas Eve. It is then that all the characters intertwine in a bizarre way.
The heroes become completely different people: the Prime Minister of Great Britain, a writer, a married woman who feels that her husband has lost interest in her, a teenager in love with the “queen” of the school. All these people have only one thing in common – love.
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Keira Knightley played one of the most significant roles of her career, playing Elizabeth Bennet in the drama Pride and Prejudice, based on Jane Austen’s famous novel about unequal love in Victorian society.
For her role as the wayward, simple country girl Elizabeth, who challenged the stereotypes of Victorian society, the actress was nominated for an Oscar. She was also nominated for the Golden Globe and several other prestigious awards, although she did not receive any of them.
Atonement (2007)
A melodrama filmed by director Joe Wright based on the novel of the same name by Ian McEwan, the action of which begins in 1935. 13-year-old Briony has an excellent imagination and writes plays. She knows that the servant’s son Robbie is in love with her older sister Cecilia and she reciprocates his feelings.
They have common hopes, they study at Cambridge and have a great future ahead of them. And this is where the wild teenage imagination of their younger sister, Briony, fatally intervenes in their lives. Because of him, Robbie is sent from prison to the front of World War II.
Last Night (2009)
The film tells the story of the life of a married couple – Michael and Joanna. For one day they have to part: Michael, along with his attractive colleague Laura, goes on a business trip to Philadelphia.
Joanna, meanwhile, meets Alex, with whom she once had an affair, in New York. The film simultaneously demonstrates the struggle with temptation of all four heroes.
A Dangerous Method (2011)
In 2011, Keira Knightley played the role of Carl Gustav Jung’s neurotic patient in David Cronenberg’s hysterical psychological drama A Dangerous Method.
The film tells about the relationship of a psychoanalyst with another famous founder of this movement – Sigmund Freud. This role required a lot of dedication from Knightley. After all, the actress had to convincingly show the difficult path of transformation from an inadequate creature to a confident woman.
Anna Karenina (2012)
In 2012, Keira Knightley played the role of Anna Karenina in the film “Anna Karenina“. For this role, she was nominated in 2013 for the European Film Academy Award in the category “Best Actress”.
A young married aristocrat, Anna Karenina, falls in love with officer Alexei Vronsky. Anna understands that such feelings are unacceptable in the secular society of which she is a part. A woman’s heart breaks with passion for her lover. In the end, Anna decides to leave her unloved husband, which incurs public censure from the prim high society.
Begin Again (2013)
Dan is an entertainment legend and former music label head. Greta is a musician and rock star’s ex-girlfriend. A chance meeting with Greta gives Dan a new chance.
They decide to record an album together. They have neither money nor professional musicians, but none of this matters, because Greta and Dan are ready for the most unexpected turns in both music and love. The whole of New York becomes their studio.