Keira Knightley is an English actress who began her career by appearing in commercials and television films, including The Treasure Seekers (1996), Coming Home (1998), and Oliver Twist (1999) [ 1 ] before making her major motion picture debut in the space-opera epic Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) as Padmé Amidala 's handmaiden. [ 2 ] She portrayed the daughter of Robin Hood in the romantic adventure film Princess of Thieves (2001), her first starring role, and earned her breakthrough by playing a teen tomboy footballer in sports comedy Bend It Like Beckham (2002). [ 1 ] [ 3 ] A year later, Knightley rose to global stardom after appearing as Elizabeth Swann in the fantasy swashbuckler film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl , co-starring Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom , for which she received two Saturn Award nominations, one for Best Supporting Actress . [ 4 ] [ 5 ] She then appeared in the Richard Curtis -directed Christmas romance Love Actually (2003) as a woman whose fiancé's best man is secretly in love with her. [ 6 ] Knightley portrayed the daughter of an alcoholic in the psychological thriller The Jacket (2005). [ 7 ] She starred as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright 's romantic drama Pride & Prejudice (2005), for which Knightley received her first nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role , becoming the third-youngest Best Actress nominee. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] The film clinched her long association with period dramas . [ 11 ] [ 12 ] She reprised her role as Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007); the former is her highest-grossing release. [ 13 ] Knightley subsequently appeared in two wartime dramas; as a complex love interest in Wright's Atonement (2007), which earned her an Empire Award for Best Actress [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 16 ] and a jazz singer in the biopic The Edge of Love (2008). [ 17 ] She starred as eighteenth-century tastemaker Georgiana Cavendish in the drama The Duchess (2008), for which she received positive reviews. [ 18 ] She made her theatre debut as a shallow, amorous film star in The Misanthrope , which earned Knightley her a nomination for the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play . [ 19 ] Also on West End , she then portrayed a schoolteacher accused of lesbianism in The Children's Hour . [ 20 ] She reunited with Wright for the third time with historical romance Anna Karenina (2012), playing the titular aristocratic socialite to critical acclaim. [ 21 ] Knightley expanded into contemporary roles with musical drama Begin Again (2014), starring as an aspiring songwriter, and action thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) as a medical student. Her role as an overeducated underachiever in the rom-com Laggies (2014) was followed by a return to historical parts as cryptanalyst Joan Clarke in the drama The Imitation Game (2014), which garnered Knightley an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. [ 22 ] The following year, she made her Broadway debut in Thérèse Raquin playing a psychotic and repressed wife. [ 23 ] Knightley appeared as the eponymous Belle Époque writer in biographical film Colette (2018) to positive reception. [ 24 ] [ 25 ] In wartime drama The Aftermath (2019), Knightley portrayed a cold, complex army wife. [ 26 ] She starred in succeeding political dramas as whistleblower Katharine Gun in Official Secrets (2019) and feminist Sally Alexander in Misbehaviour (2020). [ 27 ] [ 28 ] Guest appearances List of British actors List of British Academy Award nominees and winners List of actors with Academy Award nominations List of actors with two or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories List of awards and nominations received by Keira Knightley 1 2 Biography Today, p. 85 ↑ Buchanan, Jason. "Keira Knightley" . MSN Movies . Archived from the original on 15 March 2009 . Retrieved 17 March 2006 . ↑ "Bend It Like Beckham Review" . Empire . Retrieved 4 April 2021 . ↑ Brown, Lee (28 March 2021). "Here's How Keira Knightley Reacted When She Was Cast In 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' " . TheThings . Archived from the original on 9 May 2021 . Retrieved 7 April 2021 . ↑ "30th Saturn Awards list" . Saturn Awards . Retrieved 18 June 2011 . ↑ Sharf, Zach (31 October 2018). "Keira Knightley Has Only Seen 'Love Actually' Once, So Forgive Her for Not Knowing Which Guy Her Character Chooses" . IndieWire . Retrieved 6 April 2021 . ↑ Newman, Kim (14 October 2015). "The Jacket Review" . Empire . Archived from the original on 9 August 2017 . Retrieved 30 April 2017 . ↑ Renfro, Kim. "The 31 youngest Oscar nominees of all time" . Insider . Retrieved 17 April 2021 . ↑ Evry, Max. "The 25 Youngest Oscar Nominees of All Time" . MTV News . Archived from the original on 1 March 2017 . Retrieved 17 April 2021 . ↑ "Pride and Prejudice (2005)" . Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 20 October 2008 . {{ cite web }} : CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ( link ) ↑ "Keira Knightley : her best historical films to rewatch" . Vogue . 4 January 2021 . Retrieved 4 May 2021 . ↑ "The Nominees: Keira Knightley" . CBS News . 15 February 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008 . Retrieved 20 October 2008 . ↑ "Keira Knightley" . Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on 18 December 2008 . Retrieved 20 October 2008 . ↑ "Best Actress" . Empireonline.com . Bauer Consumer Media . 2008 . Retrieved 15 September 2011 . ↑ St. Jacobs, Jay. "James McAvoy and Keira Knightley" . Pop Entertainment . Retrieved 6 April 2021 . ↑ "Keira Knightley's 'Atonement' for Focus Features" . KillerMovies. 30 June 2006. Archived from the original on 4 September 2008 . Retrieved 25 August 2008 . ↑ "Interview: Keira Knightley hits a high note in her latest role" . The Independent . London. 19 June 2012. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013 . Retrieved 20 November 2012 . ↑ Crook, Simone. "The Duchess Review" . Empire . Retrieved 7 April 2021 . ↑ Siers, Aleks (17 December 2009). "The Misanthrope, Comedy Theatre" . The Arts Desk . Retrieved 7 April 2021 . ↑ Brantley, Ben (23 February 2011). "All Over London, Love Hurts" . The New York Times . Retrieved 7 April 2021 . ↑ "In Focus: Acting, Vol. 2" . BAFTA Guru . 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015 . Retrieved 18 August 2015 . ↑ Chilton, Martin (15 January 2015). "Oscar nominated Keira Knightley on The Imitation Game" . The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 24 April 2017 . Retrieved 23 April 2017 . ↑ McKinley, Jesse (21 October 2015). "Keira Knightley, Making Her Broadway Debut, Is Not Afraid of the Dark" . The New York Times . Retrieved 4 May 2021 . ↑ Dargis, Manhola (20 September 2018). "Review: 'Colette' and One Woman's Lust for Life" . The New York Times . Retrieved 4 May 2021 . ↑ Hoffman, Jordan (22 January 2018). "Colette review – Keira Knightley is on top form in exhilarating literary biopic" . The Guardian . Retrieved 4 May 2021 . ↑ Mottram, James (March 2019). "Keira Knightley interview: 'I've got a f**k it button. Sometimes it gets pushed' " . iNews . Retrieved 4 May 2021 .

↑ Galuppo, Mia (12 February 2018). "Keira Knightley, Matt Smith to Star in Real-Life Spy Thriller 'Official Secrets' " . The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 10 March 2018 . Retrieved 16 April 2018 . ↑ "Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw & Jessie Buckley To Star In Miss World Film 'Misbehaviour' For Left Bank & Pathé — AFM" . 17 October 2018. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019 . Retrieved 21 March 2019 . ↑ Sim, David; Watling, Eve (26 March 2019). "To celebrate Keira Knightley's birthday, we rank her 15 best movies" . Newsweek . Archived from the original on 11 April 2020 . Retrieved 31 May 2020 . ↑ Bradley, Bill (25 May 2017). "Keira Knightley Almost Wasn't In 'Pirates Of The Caribbean 5' " . HuffPost . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (9 January 2019). "Colette review – Keira Knightley shines as a racy writer wronged" . The Guardian . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ Lenker, Maureen Lee (1 November 2018). "How Keira Knightley found her high-pitched Sugar Plum Fairy voice in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ Leigh, Danny (16 October 2019). "Official Secrets — Keira Knightley in an Iraq war whistleblower thriller" . Financial Times . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ Evans, Greg (17 January 2019). " 'Berlin, I Love You' Trailer: Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren Among Stars In Fourth 'Cities' Installment" . Deadline . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ Leigh, Danny (27 February 2019). "The Aftermath — Keira Knightley stars in a handsome but glib period drama" . Financial Times . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ Debruge, Peter (20 February 2020). " 'Greed': Film Review" . Variety . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ Jacobs, Emma (6 March 2020). "Keira Knightley on #MeToo, motherhood and Misbehaviour" . Financial Times . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (21 July 2021). "Keira Knightley To Lead Voice Cast Of Animated Drama 'Charlotte' " . Deadline . Retrieved 22 July 2021 . ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (17 January 2020). "Matthew Goode And Annabelle Wallis Join Keira Knightley And Roman Griffin Davis In Christmas Pic 'Silent Night' " . Deadline . Retrieved 6 May 2021 . ↑ London, Rob (15 May 2024). "Keira Knightley Is 'The Woman in Cabin 10' in Netflix's New Thriller Adaptation" . Collider . Retrieved 15 May 2024 . ↑ Goldberg, Matt (10 March 2011). "Keira Knightley to Voice Tinker Bell in NEVERLAND" . Collider . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ Petski, Denise (26 May 2017). "Red Nose Day Actually: 'Love Actually' Short-Film Sequel With Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy & More" . Deadline . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ "Keira Knightley's 'Black Doves': What we know about the Netflix thriller series" . The Economic Times . 2 February 2024. ↑ Maxwell, Tom (20 July 2007). "Keira's helpful prompt" . The Scotsman . Archived from the original on 1 December 2007 . Retrieved 27 May 2009 . ↑ "After Juliet by Sharman McDonald" . Plays . Acquis. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 . Retrieved 27 May 2009 . ↑ Billington, Michael (18 December 2009). "The Misanthrope" . The Guardian . Retrieved 6 May 2021 . ↑ " "The Children's Hour" at Ambassador Tickets" . Ambassador Tickets . Archived from the original on 9 December 2010 . Retrieved 10 September 2012 . ↑ Rooney, David (23 October 2014). "Keira Knightley to Make Broadway Debut in 'Therese Raquin' " . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 23 November 2022 . ↑ Green, Adam (22 October 2015). "Keira Knightley Makes Her Broadway Debut in Thérèse Raquin" . Vogue . Retrieved 9 June 2021 . ↑ Bamigboye, Baz (29 April 2026). " 'The Lives Of Others' Play Set In UK With Knightley, Dillane, Thompson" . Deadline . Retrieved 12 May 2026 . Actress filmographies British filmographies Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Articles needing additional references from February 2021 All articles needing additional references Use British English from February 2021 All Wikipedia articles written in British English Use dmy dates from February 2021 CS1 maint: deprecated archival service Articles with hCards