ACTOR · BORN 1985
Keira Knightley
- Born
- 26 March 1985, Teddington, London, England, UK
- Known for
- The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), The Woman in Cabin 10 (2025), Domino (2005)
38 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Keira Knightley (born 26 March 1985) is an actor best known for The Dark Knight Rises, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and The Woman in Cabin 10.
38 Interesting Facts About Keira Knightley
Interesting Facts (14)
- #001
During the premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), she fell asleep from exhaustion and never watched the film in full. She has said that she does not own her own films on DVD and that after seeing them at the premiere she never revisits them.
Keira Knightley: in the streetImage: Wikimedia Commons · GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0 - #002
Her role as the decoy queen in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) was kept secret to avoid spoiling the surprise, and promotions maintained that Portman played both the Queen and the decoy.
- #003
Bend It Like Beckham (2002) became the first Western film shown on North Korean television in 2010; the screening marked the 10th anniversary of diplomatic relations between North Korea and the United Kingdom.
- #004
Her first name means "dark".
- #005
At 16 she went to Esher College to study for her A Levels, but she dropped the course when she was offered the role of Lara Antipova in Doctor Zhivago (2002).
- #006
In June 2007 she appeared on Forbes' list of the 100 Most Powerful Celebrities for the first time, ranking 71st and finishing ahead of other high-profile actresses such as Scarlett Johansson and Reese Witherspoon.
- #007
In a poll commissioned by the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the United Kingdom to mark the 70th anniversary of its Talking Books service, she was voted the second sexiest voice, after Sir Sean Connery.
- #008
Keira Knightley is the daughter of actor Will Knightley and actress and playwright Sharman Macdonald.
- #009
To prepare for their collaboration on David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method (2011), Keira Knightley and Cronenberg met for the first time via Skype. She had to demonstrate some of the eccentric expressions she would have to use in the film, but the Skype meetings froze several times, which embarrassed her greatly.
- #010
When she finished filming Misbehavior (2020), she was two months pregnant with her daughter Delilah, and six months after giving birth to Delilah she returned to work to begin filming Silent Night (2021).
- #011
The Jacket (2005) was the first film in which Keira Knightley used an American accent.
- #012
Keira Knightley is an idol in various forum communities on HeavenGames.com, one of the best-known websites devoted to real-time strategy computer games.
- #013
After being diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) at the age of 22, Keira Knightley wanted to quit acting.
- #014
Keira Knightley speaks only English, her native language.
Behind the Scenes (8)
- #015
The resemblance between Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman was so strong that during the filming of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), their own mothers could not tell them apart when it came to makeup.
- #016
She is dyslexic. During her adolescence she had to wear special glasses to help her read.
- #017
She was initially set to play Mary Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), but was dropped from the cast before filming began and Scarlett Johansson was later cast in her place.
- #018
When she auditioned for the role of Jackie Price in The Jacket (2005), she had suffered food poisoning a few days earlier. She decided to attend the audition anyway, and the producers liked the "acting" for the scene, because Jackie Price was to be a woman dealing with a great deal of loss and pain and generally physically ill.
- #019
She took diction lessons at the start of her career.
- #020
In 2006, she was considered for the role of Kate Meer in Neil James's "Ghost Seeker: Genesis". Both Lindy King (Knightley's manager) and Knightley herself liked the script, but the shooting schedule for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) meant the project had to go ahead without her.
- #021
She was considered for the role of Ann in the film Akşam (2007), but was unable to do it due to scheduling conflicts.
- #022
When Knightley was interviewed by Sky News on the red carpet at the 2008 BAFTA Awards, she said that Marion Cotillard should win the Best Actress award that night (both were nominated in the same category, Cotillard for La Vie En Rose (2007) and Knightley for Atonement (2007)), and said she hoped Cotillard would also win the Oscar and praised her 'La Vie en Rose' performance. Immediately after Knightley said this, Cotillard thanked and hugged her, having previously said she loved Knightley. Cotillard won both awards that year. In 2021, Cotillard and Knightley worked together as executive producers on the animated film Charlotte (2021), and both voiced the film's main character, Charlotte Salomon, with Cotillard in the French version and Knightley in the English version.
Characters & Cast (6)
- #023
She has said that auditioning for the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera (2004) was the most embarrassing moment of her life because "I knew I couldn't sing it." The role ultimately went to trained opera singer Emmy Rossum, as told to Marie Claire in 2005.
- #024
While auditioning for the role of Jackie Price in The Jacket (2005), she had suffered food poisoning a few days earlier. She decided to attend the audition anyway, and the producers liked her "acting" for the scene, since Jackie Price was to be a woman dealing with many issues of loss and pain and generally physically ill.
- #025
In 2004 the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, England, ran a poll asking filmgoers to vote for the actor and actress they would most like to see play Romeo and Juliet, and the winners were Knightley and James Marsters. More than 2,000 people voted for over 150 different actors for each role. Keira beat Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johansson and Juliet Landau in the vote. Knightley said, "I'm absolutely thrilled to have topped the poll, especially as Juliet is a role I would very much like to play in the future."
- #026
She auditioned for the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in London, England, and was accepted.
- #027
Keira Knightley campaigned for the female lead in The Rum Diary (2011) but lost the role to Amber Heard.
- #028
She was initially cast as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady but later withdrew from the project; Carey Mulligan was then chosen in her place.
Career & Awards (5)
- #029
As of February 2006 she said she planned to keep living in London and would not move to Los Angeles to further her career in American films.
- #030
She was recently honoured with the TCFF North Star Excellence Award for her performances in "The Laggies" and "The Imitation Game".
- #031
She was appointed an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama and charity in London, England.
- #032
Five months after giving birth to her daughter Edie, she returned to work to begin performing in the Broadway production of "Thérèse Raquin."
- #033
Keira Knightley attended a pre-Emmy party, where she bought a pair of earrings for $7,500.
Life & Family (5)
- #034
In January 2007, the Daily Mail published an article about a girl who had died of anorexia that wrongly suggested Keira Knightley was also anorexic, showing a photo of her in a bikini alongside an emotional quote from the girl's mother: "If pictures like this one of Keira carried a health warning, my darling daughter might have lived." Knightley successfully sued the Mail for libel.
- #035
She shot her first topless scene at the age of 15 in The Hole (2001), which was filmed in 2000 and released in 2001. Because of her age, her mother had to consent for legal reasons and the set was closed.
- #036
The green satin dress she wore in Atonement (2007) was voted the public's favourite film costume of all time in a poll by Sky Movies and In Style magazine.
- #037
To prepare for King Arthur (2004) she trained four days a week for three months, lifting weights for about two hours and then spending three hours boxing, fighting or horse riding - Cosmopolitan, August 2004.
- #038
Keira Knightley is the younger sister of Caleb Knightley.
Related pages
- Pride & Prejudice — Keira Knightley comes up in the facts on that page
- Anna Karenina — Keira Knightley comes up in the facts on that page
- Troy — Keira Knightley comes up in the facts on that page
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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