Keira Knightley

Daughter of actor Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald.

Member of the Heathham House Youth Project.

Younger sister of Caleb Knightley.

Trained in dancing.

The similarity between Knightley and Natalie Portman meant that during the filming of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace , their own mothers could not tell them apart once in makeup.

Her role as the decoy queen in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was kept secret in order to not spoil the surprise, it was maintained through the promotions that Portman played both the Queen and the decoy.

Is a supporter of West Ham United.

Mother is actress-turned-author Sharman Macdonald , who wrote "When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream and Shout" and "The Winter Guest".

Tatler announced that Keira is the most desirable single woman in the United Kingdom.

Has dyslexia. She had to wear special glasses in adolescence to help her read.

Chosen by Glamour magazine for "Most Glamorous Film Actress".

(April 23, 2004) The Royal Shakespeare Company of Stratford, England, held a 2004 poll asking movie viewers to vote for the actor and actress they would love to see play Romeo and Juliet, and the winners were Knightley and James Marsters. More than 2,000 people voted for more than 150 different actors for both roles. Keira triumphed over Kate Winslet , Nicole Kidman , Scarlett Johansson and Juliet Landau in the vote. Knightley said, "I am absolutely thrilled to have come top of the poll, particularly as Juliet is a role I would very much love to play in the future.".

Voted #1 in New Woman magazines 50 Most Beautiful Celebs 2004.

(September 2004) Voted the Sexiest Film Star of All Time by Empire magazine poll.

She did her first topless scene at age 15, in The Hole , whilst the film was released in 2001 it was filmed in 2000. For legal reasons due to her age, her mother had to agree and the set was closed.

Auditioned for, and was accepted to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in London, England.

At age 16, she went to Esher College to study for her A Levels, but quit the course when offered the role of Lara Antopova in "Doctor Zhivago" .

Ranked #18 in the 2005 FHM list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".

Her father is English, and was born in Essex South Western, Essex. Her mother, who is of Scottish and Welsh descent, was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

Shes an idol in several forum communities from Heavengames.com, one of the most famous websites about Real Time Strategy computer games.

When auditioning for the role of Jackie Price in The Jacket , she had suffered food poisoning a few days earlier. She decided to audition anyway and the film makers liked her "acting" for the scene, as Jackie Price was to be a woman with many issues of loss and pain as well as being physically sick in general.

She has bought a flat in Richmond Upon Thames but has said to have only have spent a few weeks there. However, she plans to fill it with her own painted canvases.

Voted second sexiest voice, behind Sir Sean Connery , in a poll by the UKs Royal National Institute for the Blind, commissioned to celebrate 70 years of their Talking Books service.

Named #53 on Maxim magazines Hot 100 Women of 2005 list.

The Daily Mirror named her "Actress of the Year" in December 2005.

At age 20, she was the fifth-youngest woman in Oscar history to be nominated for Best Actress.

As of February 2006, says she plans on remaining living in London and will not move to Los Angeles to further her career in American films.

Loves to collect shoes.

Friends with Italian actor [error] and Sienna Miller.

Was considered for the role of Kate Meer in Neil James s "Ghost Seeker: Genesis" in 2006. Both Lindy King (Knightleys agent) and Knightley herself liked the script, but the shooting schedule of Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End meant that the project had to move on without her.

Her hero is her castmate in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl , Geoffrey Rush.

Ranked #11 in FHM magazines "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement.

Ranked #9 on Maxim magazines Hot 100 Women of 2006 list.

Employed a stylist to dress her for premieres and award ceremonies. The stylist also dresses Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Kidman.

Attended an engagement party for Jennifer Lopez and Chris Judd.

Trained four days a week for three months in preparation for King Arthur . She did about two hours of weight lifting, and then three hours either boxing, fighting, or horseback riding - Cosmopolitan, August 2004.

Said auditioning for the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera was the singularly most embarrassing moment of her life because "I knew I couldnt sing it." The role eventually went to trained opera singer Emmy Rossum - Marie Claire, 2005.

Told NewWoman in 2004 that for King Arthur , she endured an amazing seventh-month training session.

She has a personal trainer - Tatler, 2005.

Took elocution lessons at the beginning of her career.

Invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Sciences in 2006.

She attended a pre-Emmy party where she purchased a $7,500 pair of earrings.

Her 21st birthday party cost more than $30,000. Actors, designers, and other industry types attended.

Ranked #5 in FHM magazines "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement.

Ranked #20 on Maxim magazines Hot 100 Women of 2007 list.

Named Most Beautiful Woman and Most Beautiful Face by Independent Critics (indiecritics.com).

Her first name means dark.

Made her debut on the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Celebrities in June 2007. She came in a #71 beating out other high profile actresses like Scarlett Johansson and Reese Witherspoon.

(June 2007) Voted #15 in the AfterEllen Hot 100, a list of the hottest women in entertainment as voted by lesbian and bisexual women.

Was considered for the role of Ann in Evening , but was not able to do it due to schedule conflicts.

In January 2007, the Daily Mail newspaper published an article about a girl who had died from anorexia which falsely suggested that Keira was also anorexic and showed a photograph of her in a bikini alongside an emotive quote from the girls mother "If pictures like this one of Keira carried a health warning, my darling daughter might have lived". Keira successfully sued the Mail for libel.

(September 2007) The face of Chanels fragrance "Mademoiselle".

Ranked #10 on Forbes List of The 20 Top-Earning Young Superstars.

Ranked #9 in Empire magazines list of 100 Sexiest Stars.

(January 2008) The green satin gown she wore in Atonement was voted the publics favorite film costume of all time in a survey by Sky Movies and In Style magazine.

Ranked #5 on Entertainment Weeklys "30 Under 30" the actress list .

Ranked #87 on the 2008 Telegraphs list "the 100 most powerful people in British culture".

Ranked #10 in the 2008 FHM list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".

Campaigned for the lead female role in The Rum Diary , but lost out to Amber Heard.

Was originally cast as Mary Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl , but dropped out before filming began and Scarlett Johansson was subsequently cast instead.

Was considered for the role of Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger , but Hayley Atwell was cast instead.

Was originally cast as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady (????) , but later dropped out of the project. Carey Mulligan was then cast instead.

Her film Bend It Like Beckham became the first Western film to be screened on North Korean television in 2010 (the screening was to celebrate 10 years of diplomatic relations between North Korea and the United Kingdom).

Is close friends with Carey Mulligan , having met on the set of Pride & Prejudice .

Was in a relationship with Rupert Friend , having met on the set of Pride & Prejudice (December 2005-December 2010).

Was in a relationship with Jamie Dornan (August 2003-August 2005).

Was considered for the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises , but Anne Hathaway was cast instead.

(April 24, 2011) Was bridesmaid at her brother Caleb Knightley s wedding to Kerry Nixon , held at the Pollokshields Burgh Hall in Glasgow.

Ranked #29 in the 2011 FHM Australia list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".

Ranked #69 in the 2011 FHM list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".

Ranked #54 in the 2010 FHM UK list of "100 Sexiest Woman in the World".

Ranked as having one of the most "Beautiful Famous Faces" by "The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces From Around the World." She was ranked #15 in 2010, #12 in 2009, #4 in 2008, #1 in 2007, #1 in 2006, #2 in 2005, #7 in 2004, #9 in 2003, and #13 in 2002.

By age 23, Forbes magazine ranked Knightley as the the second highest-paid actress in Hollywood with estimated earnings of $32 million in 2007. She was also the only non-American actress to make the list at that time.

Had a belly button piercing a week before she turned 13.

The first time she met with David Cronenberg to prepare their collaboration in A Dangerous Method , they met through Skype. Here, she had to exhibit some of the eccentric expressions she had to use in the film, but Skype froze several times during their meeting, much to her embarrassment.

Fell asleep during the premiere screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End due to exhaustion and she has never seen the complete film. She has stated that she does not own her own films on DVD and that she never revisits them after she sees them at the first screening.

Recentlly awarded the TCFF North Star Award for Excellence, for performances in "The Laggies" and "The Imitation Game".

Her birth name should have been "Kiera" but her mother made a typo on the the birth certificate.

Johnny Depp is one of her favorite actors. She worked with him on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End.

(May 4, 2013) Married her boyfriend of 2 years James Righton before 11 guests in a private ceremony in the town hall of Mazan, just 12 miles away from Marseilles. The bride wore a strapless white tulle dress and pink pumps, along with a cropped Chanel jacket and a daisy-chain style garland on her head.

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 30, a daughter named Edie Righton in May 2015 in London. Childs father is her husband, James Righton.

Returned to work 5 months after giving birth to her daughter Edie to begin performing in the Broadway production of "Thrse Raquin".

Returned to her film career 9 months after giving birth to her daughter Edie to begin filming Collateral Beauty .

The Jacket is her first film where she uses an American accent.

She wears a size 9 shoe.

When in doubt, faint.

(on her conception) I was a bet. My mum was desperate for another child,and my dad told her that the only way they could afford to have one was,if she sold a play. So Mum wrote "When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream,and Shout".

Acting requires me to be very observant, which means being able to sit,in cafes for hours and watch people.

In L. A.

Three years after that I was diagnosed as dyslexic, and we struck a,deal: I was allowed to start acting on condition that I would read,constantly and get good grades at school.

I paint and draw, but very badly.

I do remember, at six, thinking I should be earning my own living. My,mum says I was born 45.

There are pressures to conform to a certain type, tall, blonde, thin,big breasts, you know - The Type.

The most exercise I do is turning on the television.

[on her wardrobe] I go for whatever is clean.

I tried college for three months but I was desperately unhappy. I just,wanted to perform. I was getting straight As but I had no friends and,cried every day.

I love working in Britain because it is my home and it means I can be,with my friends and family and work at the same time. If you are,working in Britain, a lot of the time you are doing much smaller,budget. I like doing a mixture of both. Early on in my career I did,some enormously huge-budget films, and to be able to switch it up a bit,and do small-budget ones is great as well.

[on Never Let Me Go (2010) ] I thought that Ruth was fascinating.

For me, it was kind of a study of jealousy. She had a great path and I,thought it would be an interesting thing to try and get into her head.

Im a total romantic I love romantic films, but I dont like being,raped by sugar.

[on playing the title role in Anna Karenina (2012/I) ] I think,shame is a deeply difficult thing to live with, and I think she breaks,her own moral code. What happens to your own perception of yourself,when you break your own moral code? You always make yourself into the,heroine, but equally you have self-hatred. She is the heroine and the,anti-heroine. She is the perfect narcissist. She hates herself and she,loves herself.

The thing about great fictional characters from literature is that they,completely speak to what makes people human.

[on yoga classes being recommended to assist in developing her,characterization of Anna Karenina] Marathon training would have been,slightly more helpful.

Anna Karenina did come home a couple of times. Because this was so,stylized, we had to do it a million different ways, a million different,times, through mirrors and twirling into something, so it meant,everyone had to keep that level of emotion really high through,different 14-hour days. So they did sometimes bleed over into one,another.

People liked the spanking on A Dangerous Method (2011) an awful,lot. In England, it was pretty much the only thing I got asked about.

If you are on social media and if you do put anything out in the public,you are opening yourself up now to a lot of criticism and a lot of,people telling you they hate you.

And I find that incredibly romantic.

[on plastic surgery] I look the way I look, I am not willing to cut my,face up.

cool.