On this date in 1985, Keira Christina Knightley was born in London to a playwright mother and actor father. She had an agent by age 6 and in 1993 had a brief role in an episode of the British TV series āScreen One.ā Subsequent TV film roles included Natasha Jordan in āA Village Affairā (1995), a princess in āThe Treasure Seekersā (1996), young Judith in āComing Homeā (1998) and Rose in āOliver Twistā (1999). Knightley earned international recognition for her role as SabĆ©, the decoy to Natalie Portmanās Queen Amidala, in āStar Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menaceā (1999).
She played Robin Hoodās daughter, a starring role, in Disneyās 2001 production of āPrincess of Thieves.ā In 2002 she acted in a remake of āDoctor Zhivago,ā āPureā and āBend It Like Beckham.ā She starred with Johnny Depp in āPirates of the Caribbeanā (2003), with Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson and Hugh Grant in āLove Actuallyā (2003) and with Adrien Brody in āThe Jacketā (2005).
Also in 2005, Knightley played Elizabeth Bennet in āPride and Prejudice,ā a role which earned her Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. She had roles in two 2006 “Pirates of the Caribbean” sequels and was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for 2007ās āAtonement.ā She appeared in āThe Edge of Loveā (2008) and āThe Duchessā (2008).
Roles followed in āLast Nightāand āNever Let Me Goā (both in 2010), āA Dangerous Methodā (2011), āSeeking a Friend for the End of the Worldā (with Steve Carell in 2012), “Anna Karenina” (2012), “Begin Again” (2013), “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” and “The Imitation Game” (2014) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” (2017). She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance on the London stage in āThe Misanthrope,ā her theatrical debut.
In addition to her acting life, Knightley has used her celebrity to raise funds and awareness for Amnesty International, WaterAid, the American Library Association, Comic Relief, Womenās Aid and The Spinal Muscular Atrophy Trust. She married musician James Righton in 2013. Their daughter, Edie, was born in 2015.