Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley (born 26 March 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 the 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 the 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.
103 acting credits
Acting · 103
The Daily Show
1996
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Graham Norton Show
2007
Late Show with David Letterman
1993
Golden Globe Awards
1944
The View
1997
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
American Idol
2002
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2003
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2006
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
The Bill
1984
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
2007
The Oscars
1953
Richard & Judy
2001
The Reichen Show
2005
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1999
Pride & Prejudice
2005
The Imitation Game
2014
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
2017
The Wonderful World of Disney
1997
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
2014
Atonement
2007
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
2001
Screen One
1989
HBO First Look
1992
Love Actually
2003
Entertainment Tonight
1981
Black Doves
2024
Everest
2015
The Woman in Cabin 10
2025
King Arthur
2004
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
2018
Anna Karenina
2012
Neverland
2011
Collateral Beauty
2016
Never Let Me Go
2010
Boston Strangler
2023
Oliver Twist
1999
Begin Again
2014
The Jacket
2005
A Dangerous Method
2011
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
2012
Doctor Zhivago
2002
Domino
2005
Bend It Like Beckham
2002
Official Secrets
2019
The Duchess
2008
My Grandparents' War
2019
Coming Home
1998
The Aftermath
2019
The Hole
2001
Silent Night
2021
Misbehaviour
2020
Greed
2019
Last Night
2010
Silk
2007
Laggies
2014
Discovering Fashion
2016
Colette
2018
The Edge of Love
2008
London Boulevard
2010
Charlotte
2022
Red Nose Day Actually
2017
Pure
2002
Berlin, I Love You
2019
Thunderpants
2002
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens
2007
Princess of Thieves
2001
Stories of Lost Souls
2004
The Perfect Gift
2025
Stars in Shorts
2012
Innocent Lies
1995
A Village Affair
1995
Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind
2007
The Treasure Seekers
1996
Coming Home
1998
Wide-Awake
2012
Behind The Mic: The Making of The Harry Potter Full-Cast Audio Editions
2026
The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers
2009
According to Plan: The Harrowing and True Story of Dead Man's Chest
2006
Steve
2010
The Making of King Arthur
2004
The Sound Collector
2023
Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates
2003
Royal Celebration
1993
The Worst
—
Once Upon a Time...
2013
Deflation
2001
My Shot With
2005
The Seasons Alter
2002
Conception
—
New Year's Eve
2002
O2 Wireless Festival Presents: Daft Punk Live
2007
The Sound Collector
2024
Blood on the Land: The Making of a King
2004