Keanu Reeves

Keanu Charles Reeves (first name pronounced[ki'anu], born September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon) is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Neo in the action film trilogy The Matrix, Kevin Lomax in The Devil's Advocate, and for roles in Speed and Bill& Ted's Excellent Adventure. He also played bass in a grunge band, Dogstar, during the 1990s. Biography Early life Reeves was born to Patricia Taylor (born 1944), an English showgirl and costume designer who was working in Beirut when she met Reeves' father (Samuel Nowlin Reeves, Jr., born 1942) at a local nightclub. His father was born in Hawaii to Charles Armistead Reeves, an Irish American from Tennessee, and Rose Lokalia Miguel of Portuguese, Chinese and Hawaiian ancestry. Reeves' father worked as an unskilled laborer and earned his GED at the age of 50 while imprisoned in Hawaii for selling heroin at the Hilo airport. Reeves does not currently have any interaction or relationship with his biological father. Reeves was named after his uncle Henry Keanu Reeves."Keanu" is a derivation of Reeves' great-great-uncle Keaweaheulu, whose name means"the soft breeze raising" in Hawaiian. 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 (an avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada). Reeves with his sister, Kim. Enlarge Reeves with his sister, Kim. Reeves has one full sister named Kim (born 1966 in Beirut). Kim has been battling leukemia for several years. Keanu visits her often at the home he purchased for her on the island of Capri, Italy. Through his mother he has a half-sister named Karina Miller (born 1976 in Toronto). Through his father he has a half-sister named Emma Rose Reeves (born 1980 in Hawaii). Keanu's parents divorced in 1966. In 1969, his mother moved to New York City with her children where she met and married Paul Aaron, a Broadway and Hollywood director. The couple then moved to Toronto but would divorce in 1971. Reeves' mother was later married to Robert Miller (between 1976 and 1980). Subsequently, Reeves grew up primarily in Toronto and worked at a pasta shop, sharpened skates at an ice rink, and was voted MVP on his high school ice hockey team (De La Salle College). Within a span of five years, Reeves attended four different high schools, including the Etobicoke School of the Arts, from which he was later expelled. Reeves began his acting career at the age of 15, appearing in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre. After leaving the Catholic boys' high school where he played ice hockey, he attended a free school, which allowed him to obtain an education while working as an actor; he later dropped out, never obtaining his high school diploma.[1]Citizenship Keanu Reeves is eligible for U.S. citizenship through his American father[2] and British citizenship through his English mother.[3] While living in Canada, Reeves became a naturalized Canadian citizen.[4]Canada, Britain, and the United States accept the concept of multiple citizenships, so he is eligible to hold all three citizenships contemporaneously. However, Reeves generally considers himself a Canadian, Canada being the country where he grew up, went to school (at Malvern Collegiate Institute, a high school in the Beaches, a neighborhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada), and got his start in show business. Although Keanu Reeves was born in Lebanon, he is not a Lebanese citizen because his parents were only temporary residents of Lebanon and were not themselves of Lebanese descent (cf. jus soli and jus sanguinis). Education: Hedgerow Theatre, Moylan, Pennsylvania De La Salle College, Toronto, Ontario, Canada High School for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jessie Ketchum Public School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Career Reeves made his screen acting debut in Alberta, Canada, in a 1979 CBC production, Hanging In. Throughout the early 1980s, he appeared in commercials (including one for Coca-Cola), short films and stage work in Toronto. Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves in Bill& Ted's Excellent Adventure, 1989 Enlarge Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves in Bill& Ted's Excellent Adventure, 1989 His first studio movie appearance was in the Rob Lowe ice hockey film Youngblood, which was filmed in Canada. In it, he played an ice hockey goalie. Shortly after the movie's release, Reeves obtained his green card and drove from Toronto to Los Angeles in his 1969 Volvo. His ex-stepfather Paul Aaron, a stage and television director, gave him a place to stay and got him Erwin Stoff as a manager and agent before he even arrived in Los Angeles. After a few minor roles, he gained the notice of the critics in 1986's River's Edge, a teenage drama that received positive reviews. Following the film's success, he spent the late 1980s appearing in a number of movies aimed at teenage audiences, including Permanent Record, a dark film about teenage suicide, and the successful 1989 comedy, Bill& Ted's Excellent Adventure, which (along with its 1991 sequel, Bill& Ted's Bogus Journey) typecast Reeves somewhat during the next few years, as much of his subsequent portrayal in the press has been influenced by his portrayal of the comically airheaded character, Ted. Reeves was originally offered the role of Pvt. Chris Taylor in Platoon (1986) but turned it down as he disliked the violence involved; the role went to Charlie Sheen. During the early 1990s, Reeves appeared in high-budget action films like Point Break and lower-budget independent films, including the well-received 1991 film, My Own Private Idaho, and the critically panned 1994 film, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. In 1992, Reeves starred in Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was a box office success. However, his acting was criticized by many, and director Francis Ford Coppola claims that Reeves was only cast because he wanted a male character that teenagers could look up to. In 1994, Reeves also starred in the action film Speed, which was a commercial success and raised his profile, leading to his casting in films like Johnny Mnemonic and Chain Reaction, both of which failed at the box office. Hitting a low in his career, Reeves then did the unthinkable and turned down the role of Jack Traven in the Speed sequel (which was ultimately a critical and financial disappointment). He was reportedly offered $11 million dollars for the sequel but opted instead to star in the horror/drama The Devil's Advocate with Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. Reeves deferred his salary for The Devil's Advocate so that Pacino would be cast, and he did the same for The Replacements, guaranteeing the casting of Gene Hackman. Returning to theatre in 1995, Reeves performed the title role in a Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix Reloaded, 2003 Enlarge Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix Reloaded, 2003 His 1999 science fiction hit, The Matrix, re-established him as a Hollywood leading man after a few years of films that received only moderate box office success and mixed critical reception. In between the first Matrix film and its sequels, Reeves appeared in several films that received mostly negative reviews and average box office grosses, including The Watcher, Sweet November and Hardball. However, the two Matrix sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, as well as his 2005 horror-action film, Constantine, proved to be box office successes and brought Reeves back into the public spotlight. On January 31, 2005, Reeves received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Reeves accompanied former Speed costar Sandra Bullock to the 2006 Academy Awards. This caused some controversy, as Bullock is married to motorcycle builder Jesse James. It was later revealed to be a publicity stunt to coincide with the release of their romantic film The Lake House. His latest film, A Scanner Darkly, based on the science fiction novel by Philip K. D I c k, co-stars Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., and Woody Harrelson. It was released on July 7, 2006. Personal life In December 1999, Reeves' girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth to a stillborn daughter who was named Ava Archer Syme Reeves. In April 2001, Syme was killed in a car accident. She was buried next to their daughter in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Reeves was a pallbearer at Syme's funeral. Keanu Reeves as Alex Wyler in The Lake House, 2006 Enlarge Keanu Reeves as Alex Wyler in The Lake House, 2006 Reeves has never reconnected with his estranged biological father[5], who served time in prison and was paroled after serving two years of a 10-year sentence for selling heroin at Hilo Airport in 1992. Reeves enjoys riding motorcycles and coined the term"demon ride" to describe how he often rides with no headlights at night. On one of his"demon rides" in 1988, he crashed near Topanga Canyon and broke several ribs and ruptured his spleen; he has had an abdominal scar ever since – when the paramedics arrived – an emergency medical technician trainee dropped one end of the stretcher by mistake. For nearly a decade following his initial rise to stardom, Reeves lived a vagabond existence in hotels, opting not to buy a house or find a permanent place of residence, despite earning millions. Reeves has lived in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles since 2003, but also has an apartment in New York City. Although it is commonly assumed that he believes in Buddhism because he studied the religion while filming The Little Buddha, he has said in interviews that he does not practice any one religion or have any one set of beliefs. After Syme's death, he did say that he doesn't believe that things happen"for a reason."Reeves is fond of chess, motorcycles, ice hockey, and table tennis. He is left-handed, but plays the bass guitar right-handed and