Birth Name : Keanu Charles Reeves
Birth Date : September 02, 1964
Birth Place : Beirut, Lebanon
Spouse : -
Claim to Fame : As Ted Logan in "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989)
Keanu Reeves was born on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon, and was raised in Toronto, Canada. He first gained attention for his performance in River's Edge, while the comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, brought him major recognition. Reeves has developed an eclectic film roster that includes the action flick Speed and the sci-fi blockbusters The Matrix and its sequels, as well as more art-house fare like My Own Private Idaho and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. Reeves made his directorial debut in 2013 with Man of Tai Chi.
Background and Early Career:
Keanu Charles Reeves was born on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon. Of Chinese-Hawaiian heritage on his geologist father’s side, Reeves’s first name translates from Hawaiian to English as “cool breeze over the mountains.” Reeves’s mom worked in entertainment as a performer and later a costume designer. Upon his parents’ split, the youngster moved with his mother and sister to New York and then Toronto. Reeves developed an ardor for hockey, though he would eventually turn to acting, garnering TV roles and making his big-screen debut in the 1985 Canadian feature One Step Away.
'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'
Soon after, Reeves was featured in U.S.-oriented teen movies such as Youngblood (1986), starring Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze, and River’s Edge (1986). More television and film roles followed before Reeves joined the ensemble cast of the scandalous period drama Dangerous Liaisons (1988), starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. The following year marked the release of a film for which the young actor would become associated with for quite some time—Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Co-starring Alex Winter, the popular comedy followed two high school students and their time-traveling high jinks, eventually spawning a 1990 animated TV series and the 1991 movie sequel, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.
Range of Roles
Though Reeves would often face criticism for his deadpan delivery and perceived limited range as an actor, he nonetheless took on roles in a variety of genres over the ensuing decade, doing everything from introspective art-house fare to action-packed thrillers.
My Own Private Idaho (1991), directed by Gus Van Sant and co-starring River Phoenix, chronicled the lives of two young sex workers living on the streets, while Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), co-starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Anthony Hopkins, saw Reeves embodying the calm resoluteness of character Jonathan Harker. 1994 saw the actor starring opposite Sandra Bullock in the hit action flick Speed, followed by work that included the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds (1995) and the supernatural thriller Devil’s Advocate (1997), co-starring Al Pacino and Charlize Theron.
Keanu Charles Reeves was born on September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon to an Asian American of Chinese and Hawaiian descent geologist Samuel Nowlin Reeves and an English showgirl Patricia. Keanu is actually a very unique name, it's spelled "Key-ah-nu" which in Hawaiian means "cool breeze over the mountains." There was a move to Australia for a year where Keanu's first sister Kim was born in 1966, which soon followed by his parents dissolution. Subsequent to their marriage dissolved, Patric and Samuel went their separate ways, in which she and the two kids headed to New York City, while Samuel to Hawaii. Since that time Keanu visited his father in Hawaii on occasion until he was thirteen, the time he saw him for the very last time. And in the year of 1994 it was reported that Samuel was sentenced to ten years in prison for selling heroin at Hilo Airport in 1992. He was paroled in the mid-1996, but both father and son were no longer maintaining contact with each other.
Soon after their move to New York, Patric met and married director Paul Aaron and moved to Toronto, where both took up Canadian citizenship. Less than a year later they split up and Patric went on to marry rock promoter Robert Miller and gave birth to Keanu's second half sister, Karina, in 1976. Switched partners a few times more, Patric for one more time got divorced and married her third husband Robert Miller, a hair salon owner, whom she divorced with in 1994. Facing such verity, Keanu later on tend to describe himself as a "middle-class white boy. A bourgeois, middle-class white boy with an absent father, a strong-willed mother, and two beautiful younger sisters."
Enrolled at the Jesse Ketchum Public School in Toronto from kindergarten through the eighth grade, Keanu went on to four different high schools including De La Salle College and the Toronto School for the Performing Arts before at the end dropping out completely at age 17 to pursue his acting career. In high school he wasn't so enthusiastic about academics, rather he took a keen interest in ice hockey that he was named "The Wall" goalie by his high school hockey team. Besides becoming an avid hockey player he was also interested in drama. And he maybe a hardworker too, as during his youth he took on lots of different jobs, including sharpening
skates at an ice rink shop, landscaping, and making pasta. Yet, Keanu could in the future be a famous Hollywood film actor.
As faith would have it, Keanu soon then appeared in some stage gigs and bit parts on TV movies. After all he could favorably win a supporting role in the Rob Lowe hockey flick "Youngblood" (1986), which was filmed in Canada. Shortly after the production completed, Keanu moved to Hollywood, where he burst on critics' radar with his performance in the dark adolescent drama "River's Edge" (1986). The star eventually gained his very first popularity for the role of totally rad dude Ted Logan he played in the 1989 film "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure." Sad to relate that the role had, in many ways, influenced Keanu's following portrayal in some other different movies. In order to rub off such stigma, in the next few years he forced himself to get involved in a series of highbrow projects. Firstly played a slumming rich boy opposite River Phoenix's narcoleptic male hustler in "My Own Private Idaho" (1991), Keanu went on to play an unlucky lawyer who stumbles into the vampire's lair in "Dracula" (1992) and Shakespearean party-pooper Don Jon in "Much Ado About Nothing" (1993).
Despite the fact that his acting has frequently been ridiculed as wooden, Keanu indeed able to be a major box-office draw and several of his films have equally become extremely popular. It was in 1994 when he became a big-budget action star with the release of "Speed" (1994). This was just the beginning of the start before he would in the following years alternate in such films, as "Feeling Minnesota" (1996), "The Last Time I Committed Suicide" (1997), "Johnny Mnemonic" (1995), and "Chain Reaction" (1996). A few years after he drooped the "Speed" sequel, Keanu hit the box office with the Wachowski brothers' cyberadventure "The Matrix" (1999). Strengthen his role as Neo in that movie, he kept playing in its two sequels, "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions", both box-office hits. That achievement has, in fact, granted this left-handed actor a Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, which he proudly received on January 31, 2005.
In December of 1999, amidst the people's joy in celebrating Christmas, Keanu had to face a sad occurence as his actress girlfriend Jennifer Syme gave birth to their stillborn daughter they planned to name Eva Archer Syme-Reeves.
'The Matrix'
At the close of the decade, Reeves starred in a sci-fi film that would become a genre game changer—The Matrix. Directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, the 1999 movie followed Reeves as prophetic figure Neo, slated to lead humanity to freedom from an all-consuming simulated world. Known for its innovative fight sequences, avant-garde special effects and gorgeous fashion, The Matrix was an international hit. Two sequels were filmed together and released in 2003 to a more mixed reception, though the second installment, The Matrix Reloaded, was a bigger financial blockbuster than its predecessor.
Directorial Debut
Even with mainstream success, Reeves continued working in different genres, as seen with his roles as an abusive man in The Gift (2000), starring Cate Blanchett, a smitten doctor in Something’s Gotta Give (2003) opposite Diane Keaton, and a Brit demon hunter in Constantine (2005). Reeves returned to sci-fi as alien Klaatu in the 2008 remake of the classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, co-starring Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith.
The following decade saw the actor making his directorial debut with Man of Tai Chi (2013). Martial arts–based themes continued in Reeves's next feature, the widely panned 47 Ronin (2013), which was followed in 2014 by the more critically well-received John Wick, co-starring Willem Dafoe and John Leguizamo.
Off the Set
His artistic aspirations not limited to film, Reeves co-founded the band Dogstar in the early 1990s. Dogstar enjoyed modest success, releasing two albums during Reeves's decade-long run as its bass player. He later played bass for a band called Becky for about a year.
Reeves is also a longtime motorcycle enthusiast. After asking designer Gard Hollinger to create a custom-built bike for him, the two went into business together with the formation of Arch Motorcycle Company LLC in 2011.
Reported to be one of the more generous actors in Hollywood, Reeves helped care for his sister during her lengthy battle with leukemia, and has supported such organizations as Stand Up To Cancer and PETA.
Keanu Charles Reeves, a Canadian actor known for his nobility in the Hollywood film industry, is a humble and down to earth actor who does not shy away from sharing his success with the co-actors and the crew of his movies. The gentle actor famously gave away most of his earnings from the blockbuster trilogy ‘The Matrix’ to the special effects and costume designer team of the movie because he felt that they were the real heroes of the movie. He also gave away the opportunity to earn millions just so his production team could afford ace actors for his movies like Al Pacino for ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ and Gene Hackman for ‘The Replacement’. Reeves had an emotionally instable childhood because his father left him and his mother when he was only 3 years old and his mother went on to marry three more times after that. He travelled along with his mother to Sydney, New York and Toronto before he decided to leave for LA for good to start his acting career at the age of 15. Reeves has given many blockbuster hits like: ‘The Matrix’. The Matrix Reloded’, ‘The Matrix Revolutions’, ‘The Devil’s Advocate’, ‘Speed’, ‘Constantine’, etc. He is a recluse and tries to stay away from the media and enjoys ballroom dancing and surfing more than anything. He has faced many tragedies in his life like the birth of his still born daughter ‘Ava’, death of his longtime girlfriend Jennifer Syme and the death of his dear friend and actor River Phoenix. Recently, Reeves made his directorial debut with the movie ‘Man of Tai Chi’ in 2013.
Independent Keanu, who is reported to be very generous with his time and money, once began playing bass with the rock band Dogstar, who has now gone "into hibernation." And he currently reported playing bass in a band called "becky" with former Dogstar drummer Rob Mailhouse, guitarist Paulie Kosta and singer Rebecca Lord. Yet, in the latest interview, he has announced he's been leaving the band and his musical career for good. Keeping his 1974 motorcycle among his most prized possessions, Keanu loves horseback riding and surfing, which both inspired from his movie roles. Maintaining Canadian citizenship and passport, he is now reside in Toronto, Canada where he originally grown up.
Being able to put full concentration on his acting career, Keanu smoothly moved forward to compile a diverse film resume which included "Something's Gotta Give" (2003), "Thumbsucker" (2005), "Constantine" (2005), and "A Scanner Darkly" (2006). The same year of the latter's release also saw him reunite with "Speed" co-star Sandra Bullock in romantic drama "The Lake House" before joining the star-studded cast of "Night Watch (2008)", the second feature directorial effort of noted screenwriter David Ayer.
Personal Life & Legacy:
Trivia
In 1994, Reeves’ father was sentenced to ten years in jail for the possession of cocaine in Hawaii.
He was offered the role opposite Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in ‘Heat’, which he turned down because of his prior engagement as Hamlet at Winnipeg’s Manitoba Theatre Centre in Canada. The role later went to Val Kilmer.
Reeves was a band mate of the band called ‘Dogstar’ and once did a summer tour with them in 1995.
For ‘The Matrix’ Reeves was selected for the role of ‘Neo’ over Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith and Brad Pitt.
In 2001, Reeves’ sister Kim was diagnosed with leukemia when she was only 38 and battled the disease for years.
Reeves earned 150 million US dollars for ‘The Matrix’ trilogy. It is said that he gave away most of this money to the special effects and costume design team because he felt that they were the real heroes of the movie who made it successful.
Reeves only charged a million US dollar for ‘The Devil’s Advocate’, when he could easily earn more, so that the producers could afford Al Pacino for the movie. Also for ‘The Replacements’ he took a pay cut so that Gene Hackman could be afforded for the movie.
For a very long time, Reeves lived in rented houses and hotels instead of buying his own. He bought his own house in LA in 2003.
Reeves is not a Buddhist, opposing to the popular belief, but he says that he is interested in Buddhism.
Reeves is dyslexic.
He was trained in Martial arts before the production of ‘The Matrix’ began.
He considers his sister his best friend.
His hobbies are horseback riding, ballroom dancing and surfing.
He was in the list of ’50 Most Beautiful People in the World’ of People Magazine in 1995.
In 1993, Reeves was devastated and broken down by the death of his co-star and close friend River Phoenix. The two acted together in ‘My Own Private Idaho’ in 1991. Phoenix died of drug overdose and it was rumored that both Phoenix and Reeves experimented with drugs for the role that they were playing in the movie and Phoenix started taking drugs around that time only.
In 2000, Reeves’ longtime girlfriend Jennifer Syme, a production assistant and part-time actress delivered their still baby who they called ‘Ava’. The tragedy became the cause for their break-up but both remained close friends even after that.
In 2001, just a year after the birth of their still born baby Ava, Jennifer was killed in a car accident, while she was coming back from Marilyn Manson’s party in her LA house. It was believed that she died because she was driving under the influence of drugs and prescribed medicine. This devastated Reeves and he said at one of his interviews ‘grief changes shape but it never ends’.
In 2008, it was said that Reeves was dating China Chow, a 38 year old actress and daughter of the restaurateur Michael Chow. He made a formal appearance with her during the Cannes Film Festival. Around that time, there were photos floating on the internet showing Chow swimming topless along with Reeves in France. But they broke up soon after that and Reeves was romantically connected to an actress called Parker Posey.
In 2010, Reeves gained a lot of publicity on the internet when someone posted his photograph in which he is sitting on a bench and eating alone and he looks miserable. It was posted on a 4chan forum. It became viral on the internet and was soon famous under the title of ‘Keanu is Sad’ or ‘Sad Keanu’. Reeves told The Guardian, when prompted to speak over the matter, ‘It is hopefully transformative. The kind of thing that takes you from one place to another – to look at yourself and you know, it can always be worse. I hate that sentence: of course it can always be worse!’
The offspring of a half-Chinese, half-Hawaiian geologist and an English showgirl, Keanu’s itinerant parents did not stay together long, so Keanu's childhood took himself, his mother and sisters to Australia, New York and Canada. His mother Patricia had a series of interesting partners and husbands, with connections to showbiz, and the young Keanu, not one for academia, decided acting was to be his career, and he began to find work in adverts and TV shows.
His motion picture debut was in ‘Dream To Believe’ in Canada, but his part in the 1986 TV movie ‘Under the Influence’ got him more notice. He headed for Hollywood in 1986 with $3,000, an old Volvo and his stepfather Paul Aaron's address. A few name changes followed as ‘Keanu’ was considered by his manager to be too exotic, but they were short-lived and he reverted to Keanu.
A string of TV movies followed, including ‘Act of Vengeance’, ‘Young Again’, ‘The Brotherhood of Justice’ and ‘Babes in Toyland’, all of which were released in 1986. His parts grew and then he started attracting the eye of more mainstream directors.
Director Stephen Frears was among the big hitters to collaborate with the rising star early in his career, casting him in the 1988 period drama ‘Dangerous Liaisons’, alongside Glenn Close, John Malkovich and Michelle Pfeiffer. Keanu went on to star in 1991 film ‘Point Break’ as an FBI agent, which landed him his first accolade - the MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male.
Gus Van Sant noticed the talented young actor and cast him in the 1991 independent film ‘My Own Private Idaho’, which also starred River Phoenix and James Russo. However, 1993 brought a new award, albeit one he may not have wanted when he was given the Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor for his role in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’.
Keanu went on to make up for this with his appearance in ‘Speed’, which really made him a household name, perhaps not so much for his acting, but the fact that it grossed nearly $300 million. More films followed, then ‘The Matrix’ in 1999 made him another massive hit, and catapulted Keanu to the highest earning actor bracket, with a salary of $20 million per film.
In 2005, Keanu, who had starred in two more commercially successful Matrix movies and other films including the high grossing fantasy/horror ‘Constantine’, was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His latest roles include parts in 'Man Of Tai Chi' (2013), which he also directed and '47 Ronin' (2013).
His personal life continues to intrigue fans, some of whom raised concern about his happiness in 2010. Despite the fame and wealth, though, Keanu shuns the limelight. He works hard and is always self-deprecating. Still living in Toronto, he prefers to surf, ballroom dance and ride horses.
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