Keira Christina Knightley was born March 26, 1985 in the South West Greater London suburb of Richmond. She is the daughter of actor Will Knightley and actress turned playwright Sharman Macdonald. An older brother, Caleb Knightley, was born in 1979. Her father is English, while her Scottish-born mother is of Scottish and Welsh origin. Brought up immersed in the acting profession from both sides - writing and performing - it is little wonder that the young Keira asked for her own agent at the age of three. She was granted one at the age of six and performed in her first TV role as "Little Girl" in Screen One: Royal Celebration (1993), aged seven.

It was discovered at an early age that Keira had severe difficulties in reading and writing. She was not officially dyslexic as she never sat the formal tests required of the British Dyslexia Association. Instead, she worked incredibly hard, encouraged by her family, until the problem had been overcome by her early teens. Her first multi-scene performance came in A Village Affair (1995), an adaptation of the lesbian love story by Joanna Trollope. This was followed by small parts in the British crime series The Bill (1984), an exiled German princess in The Treasure Seekers (1998) and a much more substantial role as the young "Judith Dunbar" in Giles Foster's adaptation of Rosamunde Pilcher's novel Coming Home (1998), alongside Peter O'Toole, Penelope Keith and Joanna Lumley. The first time Keira's name was mentioned around the world was when it was revealed (in a plot twist kept secret by director George Lucas) that she played Natalie Portman's decoy "Padme" to Portman's "Amidala" in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). It was several years before agreement was reached over which scenes featured Keira as the queen and which featured Natalie!

James Righton (4 May 2013 - present) ( 1 child)

Trivia

Daughter of actor Will Knightley and actress and playwright Sharman Macdonald.
Member of the Heathham House Youth Project.
Younger sister of Caleb Knightley.
Trained in dancing.
The similarity between Knightley and Natalie Portman meant that during the filming of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), their own mothers could not tell them apart once in makeup.
Her role as the decoy queen in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) was kept secret in order to not spoil the surprise, it was maintained through the promotions that Portman played both the Queen and the decoy.
Is a supporter of West Ham United.
Mother is actress-turned-author Sharman Macdonald, who wrote "When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream and Shout" and "The Winter Guest".
Tatler announced that Keira is the most desirable single woman in the United Kingdom (2004).
Has dyslexia. She had to wear special glasses in adolescence to help her read.
Chosen by Glamour magazine for "Most Glamorous Film Actress" (2004).
(April 23, 2004) The Royal Shakespeare Company of Stratford, England, held a 2004 poll asking movie viewers to vote for the actor and actress they would love to see play Romeo and Juliet, and the winners were Knightley and James Marsters. More than 2,000 people voted for more than 150 different actors for both roles. Keira triumphed over Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman, Scarlett Johansson and Juliet Landau in the vote. Knightley said, "I am absolutely thrilled to have come top of the poll, particularly as Juliet is a role I would very much love to play in the future.".
Voted #1 in New Woman magazine's 50 Most Beautiful Celebs 2004.
Voted the Sexiest Film Star of All Time by Empire magazine poll. [September 2004]
She did her first topless scene at age 15, in The Hole (2001), whilst the film was released in 2001 it was filmed in 2000. For legal reasons due to her age, her mother had to agree and the set was closed.
Auditioned for, and was accepted to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in London, England.

The problem for me was that by being in the film the magic was broken. I loved the first Star Wars film and my mum was really into it too, that's why I took the part. But the Force wasn't there when we were filming it, and they didn't have real light sabres, which annoyed me.
On wearing a corset on Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003): "I had a Scarlett O'Hara thing, she gets her waist down to 18 and a half inches--so I thought I would try that. For five minutes, it's fantastic--you have this tiny waist and fantastic cleavage, but oxygen deprivation is a big problem!
(on kissing Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)) There were these teenaged girls off-cam, and they were ready to kill me because I kissed Orlando Bloom!
I feel less blonde now and, er, smarter!
There's no point having an 18th birthday in America.
I've always been a snob about qualifications.
On Bend It Like Beckham (2002): I thought there would be doubles--stunt doubles--and I would just run in for the close-ups, but unfortunately they didn't have the money for that.
(After being called the new Hayley Mills) That was cruel! Nothing against Hayley Mills, but I'm trying to be cool here. I'm trying to be edgy.
Do you know that on all the sets I've been on, nobody has ever made a pass at me?
(on shoes) I see a pair of shoes I adore, and it doesn't matter if they have them in my size. I buy them anyway.
(on The View (1997)) I met Barbara Walters backstage and didn't know who she was. She's an American phenomenon, I was told later. I'm just sooo English.
(at a photo shoot) I'm a hooker in these pictures, and I must be a high priced one because I'm staying at the Ritz, which is good.
I'm a tomboy beanpole? I can't use a computer, so maybe I'm a bit out of the loop. I don't know whether to be flattered or not flattered. The beanpole bit, is that good? Can you be a sexy beanpole?
Katharine Hepburn and Vivien Leigh are my heroes. Not because of their ability, but because of their perseverance.