Keira Knightley
Acting • Born 1985-03-26
Biography
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.
Filmography
99 credits
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Movie • 2003
Elizabeth Swann
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Movie • 2006
Elizabeth Swann
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Movie • 2007
Elizabeth Swann
Bend It Like Beckham
Movie • 2002
Juliette 'Jules' Paxton
The Hole
Movie • 2001
Frances 'Frankie' Almond Smith
Love Actually
Movie • 2003
Juliet
Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates
Movie • 2003
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Movie • 1999
Sabé
Atonement
Movie • 2007
Cecilia Tallis
Pride & Prejudice
Movie • 2005
Elizabeth Bennet
Boston Strangler
Movie • 2023
Loretta McLaughlin
Princess of Thieves
Movie • 2001
Gwyn
Thunderpants
Movie • 2002
Music School Student
Last Night
Movie • 2010
Joanna Reed
King Arthur
Movie • 2004
Guinevere
The Duchess
Movie • 2008
Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
The Jacket
Movie • 2005
Jackie Price
Domino
Movie • 2005
Domino Harvey
The Edge of Love
Movie • 2008
Vera Phillips
Never Let Me Go
Movie • 2010
Ruth C.
According to Plan: The Harrowing and True Story of Dead Man's Chest
Movie • 2006
Self
Silk
Movie • 2007
Hélène Joncour
Royal Celebration
Movie • 1993
Angela
A Dangerous Method
Movie • 2011
Sabina Spielrein
Pure
Movie • 2002
Louise
London Boulevard
Movie • 2010
Charlotte
The Treasure Seekers
Movie • 1996
The Princess
Innocent Lies
Movie • 1995
Young Celia
Stories of Lost Souls
Movie • 2004
Leah
Anna Karenina
Movie • 2012
Anna Karenina
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
Movie • 2012
Penelope "Penny" Lockhart
O2 Wireless Festival Presents: Daft Punk Live
Movie • 2007
Self (Patron)
Stars in Shorts
Movie • 2012
Woman
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Movie • 2014
Cathy Muller
The Imitation Game
Movie • 2014
Joan Clarke
Begin Again
Movie • 2014
Gretta James
Laggies
Movie • 2014
Megan Burch
Berlin, I Love You
Movie • 2019
Jane
Greed
Movie • 2019
Self
Everest
Movie • 2015
Jan Arnold
Steve
Movie • 2010
Woman
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens
Movie • 2007
Self
Collateral Beauty
Movie • 2016
Amy Moore
The Woman in Cabin 10
Movie • 2025
Laura 'Lo' Blacklock
The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers
Movie • 2009
The Fairy
Once Upon a Time...
Movie • 2013
Gabrielle Chanel
The Seasons Alter
Movie • 2002
Helena
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Movie • 2018
Sugar Plum Fairy
A Village Affair
Movie • 1995
Natasha Jordan
Deflation
Movie • 2001
Jogger
Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind
Movie • 2007
Em (voice)
The Aftermath
Movie • 2019
Rachael Morgan
Red Nose Day Actually
Movie • 2017
Juliet
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Movie • 2017
Elizabeth Swann
Colette
Movie • 2018
Colette
New Year's Eve
Movie • 2002
Leah
Official Secrets
Movie • 2019
Katharine Gun
Wide-Awake
Movie • 2012
The Witch
Misbehaviour
Movie • 2020
Sally Alexander
Coming Home
Movie • 1998
Young Judith
Silent Night
Movie • 2021
Nell
Conception
Movie
Charlotte
Movie • 2022
Charlotte Salomon (voice)
The Making of King Arthur
Movie • 2004
The Sound Collector
Movie • 2024
Self - Narrator (voice)
The Perfect Gift
Movie • 2025
Herself
The Worst
Movie
Holly
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
TV • 2003
Self
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
TV • 2001
Self - Guest
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
TV • 1988
Self - Guest
The View
TV • 1997
Self
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV • 1992
Richard & Judy
TV • 2001
Self
American Idol
TV • 2002
Self
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
TV • 1993
Self - Guest
Doctor Zhivago
TV • 2002
Lara Antipova
Oliver Twist
TV • 1999
Rose Fleming
My Shot With
TV • 2005
The Oscars
TV • 1953
Self
My Grandparents' War
TV • 2019
Self
Black Doves
TV • 2024
Helen Webb
Late Night with Seth Meyers
TV • 2014
Self
Screen One
TV • 1989
Angela
The Bill
TV • 1984
Sheena Rose
The Wonderful World of Disney
TV • 1997
Gwyn
Neverland
TV • 2011
Tinker Bell (voice)
The Reichen Show
TV • 2005
Self
Entertainment Tonight
TV • 1981
Self
The Graham Norton Show
TV • 2007
Self
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV • 2009
Self - Guest
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Self - Guest
Coming Home
TV • 1998
Young Judith
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
TV • 2014
Self
Discovering Fashion
TV • 2016
Self (archive footage)
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
TV • 2014
Self
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Nominee
HBO First Look
TV • 1992
self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TV • 2003
Self - Guest