ACTOR · BORN 1964

Keanu Reeves

Born: 2 September 1964, Beirut, Lebanon
Known for: Heat (1995), The Matrix (1999), X-Men (2000), The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

48 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Keanu Reeves (born 2 September 1964) is an actor best known for Heat, The Matrix and X-Men.

Keanu Reeves over the years

48 Interesting Facts About Keanu Reeves

Interesting Facts (7)

#001
He had a bathtub scene in two films with Rachel Weisz, where she sits in the tub with clothes on and he is outside the tub: Constantine (2005) and Chain Reaction (1996).
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#002
He frequently plays men who are either strapped or sitting in a chair while some type of procedure is performed on him, as in all three Matrix films, Johnny Mnemonic (1995), Feeling Minnesota (1996), Dracula (1992), Constantine (2005), A Scanner Darkly (2006), The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) and John Wick (2014).
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#003
He writes left-handed but shoots a gun or performs other actions with his right hand. In The Matrix (1999), he signs for the package with his left hand but opens the package and holds the phone with his right hand.
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#004
He lent one of his basses (a yellow Fender) to bassist Kim Gordon for use in the music video for Sonic Youth's "100%".
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#005
In 1991, he coincidentally co-starred in two movies that featured members of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers in minor roles: Flea starred in My Own Private Idaho (1991) and Anthony Kiedis starred in Point Break (1991).
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#006
(August 4, 2001) Played baseball in the Dodgers Stadium, for the 43rd Hollywood Stars Celebrity Baseball Game. His team won 5 to 4. This was the first time Keanu played baseball.
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#007
Had a bathtub scene in two films with Rachel Weisz, where she sits in the tub with clothes on and he is outside the tub: Constantine (2005) and Chain Reaction (1996).
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Production Story (11)

#008
He took a 90% pay cut on his salary on The Replacements (2000) so Gene Hackman could be cast. Previously, he had deferred $2 million of his salary so that Al Pacino could be cast on The Devil's Advocate (1997).
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#009
After making The Matrix he was interested in Shooter which had been intended for Robert Redford but wanted $15 million plus a percentage of the profits.
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#010
He turned down the role of Racer X in Speed Racer (2008), which eventually went to Matthew Fox.
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#011
He was originally offered the role of Private Chris Taylor in Platoon (1986), which he turned down. The role went to Charlie Sheen.
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#012
He replaced Val Kilmer in the title role in Johnny Mnemonic (1995) when Kilmer left the project upon being offered the role of Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever (1995). Ironically, Kilmer later replaced Reeves as Chris Shiherlis in Heat (1995).
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#013
He was set to reprise his role as Jack Traven in the sequel to Speed (1994), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), but dropped out.
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#014
He turned down a role in Platoon because he considered the film too violent.
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#015
When trying out for the roles of Bill and Ted in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), each actor was paired up with another. Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter were paired up, Reeves trying out for the part of Bill while Winter tried out for the part of Ted. They were cast opposite what they auditioned for.
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#016
He was originally cast as Chris Shiherlis in Heat (1995) but later backed out of the project, and the role went to Val Kilmer.
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#017
Joel Schumacher considered him for the role of The Scarecrow (Jonathan Crane) in the fifth Batman movie had Schumacher gone on to direct Batman 5. The failure of Batman & Robin (1997) prevented that from happening.
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#018
Auditioned for the Etobicoke School of the Arts in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; but was rejected.
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Behind the Scenes (2)

#019
He read the script of Constantine (2005) while filming The Matrix Revolutions (2003).
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#020
He learned to surf for his role in Point Break (1991).
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Characters & Cast (2)

#021
After making The Matrix he was interested in Shooter which had been intended for Robert Redford but wanted $15 million plus a percentage of the profits.
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#022
Has spoken openly about having dyslexia, a learning disorder that made his school years challenging and led to him dropping out of high school. Despite academic struggles, he used acting as a way to cope with not fitting in, ultimately turning it into a successful, decades-long career.
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Easter Eggs & References (1)

#023
The character of Jimbo Jones on The Simpsons (1989) is based on his character from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).
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Deeper Meaning (1)

#024
Even though Reeves has starred in Shakespearean films and plays, he does believe that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the works of Shakespeare.
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Career & Awards (11)

#025
When Reeves first arrived in Hollywood, his agent thought his first name was too exotic, so during the early days of his film career he was sometimes credited as K.C. Reeves, Norman Kreeves or Chuck Spadina.
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#026
He attended the 59th Berlin International Film Festival in Germany.
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#027
He was a founding member and bass player for Dogstar (1991-2002). He was invited to open for David Bowie in 1995 at the Hollywood Palladium, where they covered Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb. He also opened for Bon Jovi on his 1995 These Days - Crossroads Tour in Australia and New Zealand. Dogstar released one EP and two LPs before they disbanded.
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#028
He has worked with four directors that won Best Director Oscar: Bernardo Bertolucci, Ron Howard, Francis Ford Coppola and Kathryn Bigelow. Also was directed by three other directors who had won Oscars in different categories: Taylor Hackford, Kenneth Branagh and Josh Cooley.
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#029
He recently left the band Becky with former Dogstar bandmate Robert Mailhouse due to scheduling conflicts.
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#030
He attended the 2008 Bambi Awards in Offenburg, Germany.
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#031
He met Stephen Hamel in 1986, when Hamel photographed Reeves. The two went on to create their production outfit Company Films.
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#032
He attended the premiere of The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) in Tokyo, Japan.
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#033
Decided to become an actor at age 15 when he was doing Romeo and Juliet in 10th grade.
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#034
Was manager of a pasta shop in Toronto, Ontario.
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#035
Frequently plays men either strapped or sitting in a chair while some type of procedure is performed on him. All three Matrix films, Johnny Mnemonic (1995), Feeling Minnesota (1996), Dracula (1992), Constantine (2005), A Scanner Darkly (2006), The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), John Wick (2014).
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Life & Family (13)

#036
In November 1999, the baby girl he was expecting with girlfriend Jennifer Syme was stillborn, just a few weeks shy of the actual delivery date. They had planned to name her Ava Archer Syme-Reeves.
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#037
He resides in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, California, and is said to maintain an apartment in Manhattan as well.
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#038
Has spoken openly about having dyslexia, a learning disorder that made his school years challenging and led to him dropping out of high school. Despite academic struggles, he used acting as a way to cope with not fitting in, ultimately turning it into a successful, decades-long career.
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#039
He was nicknamed "the wall" by his high school hockey team De La Salle College "Oaklands".
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#040
His father was a geologist who served time in prison. He was paroled after serving two years of a ten-year sentence for selling heroin at Hilo Airport in 1992.
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#041
For a Halloween party as a teenager, Keanu once wore the bunny costume his mother Patric Reeves had designed for Dolly Parton's October 1978 Playboy magazine cover.
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#042
He is co-owner of Arch Motorcycles.
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#043
Keanu got his abdominal scar from a motorcycle wreck in Topanga Canyon. He was on a "demon ride" (no headlights at night) when he crashed into the side of a mountain. He was hospitalized for a week with broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. When the paramedics came to get him, an emergency medical technician trainee picked up one end of the stretcher... then dropped it by mistake! "It made me laugh, but I couldn't breathe!"
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#044
He could have been a professional ice hockey player for the Canadian League and could have tried out for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League, but he set his heart on acting and left hockey as a hobby.
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#045
He is very good friends with his Bill & Ted co-star Alex Winter and has remained in contact with him. Keanu has also contributed cameo appearances and helped with a number of Winter's film projects.
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#046
His mother, Patric Reeves, was a costume designer for rock stars such as Alice Cooper.
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#047
(April 2, 2001) His estranged girlfriend Jennifer Syme was killed when her Jeep Cherokee careened onto the wrong side of a Los Angeles road near Highway 101 and smashed into three parked cars. The force of the crash flipped the car over and she was thrown through the windshield. She was killed instantly.
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#048
Has played a former quarterback from the Ohio State University in two films: Point Break (1991) and The Replacements (2000).
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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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