List of Keira Knightley performances

Keira Knightley at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival

Keira Knightley is a British 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 fiancée's best man is secretly in love with her.[6] Knightley portrayed the daughter of an alcoholic in 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 nomination, 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]

  1. ^ a b Biography Today, p. 85
  2. ^ Buchanan, Jason. "Keira Knightley". MSN Movies. Archived from the original on 15 March 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2006.
  3. ^ "Bend It Like Beckham Review". Empire. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  4. ^ Brown, Lee (28 March 2021). "Here's How Keira Knightley Reacted When She Was Cast In 'Pirates Of The Caribbean'". TheThings. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  5. ^ "30th Saturn Awards list". Saturn Awards. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Newman, Kim (14 October 2015). "The Jacket Review". Empire. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  8. ^ Renfro, Kim. "The 31 youngest Oscar nominees of all time". Insider. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  9. ^ Evry, Max. "The 25 Youngest Oscar Nominees of All Time". MTV News. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Pride and Prejudice (2005)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 26 May 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  11. ^ "Keira Knightley : her best historical films to rewatch". Vogue. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  12. ^ "The Nominees: Keira Knightley". CBS News. 15 February 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  13. ^ "Keira Knightley". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
  14. ^ "Best Actress". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  15. ^ St. Jacobs, Jay. "James McAvoy and Keira Knightley". Pop Entertainment. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Keira Knightley's 'Atonement' for Focus Features". KillerMovies. 30 June 2006. Archived from the original on 4 September 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2008.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ Crook, Simone. "The Duchess Review". Empire. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  19. ^ Siers, Aleks (17 December 2009). "The Misanthrope, Comedy Theatre". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  20. ^ Brantley, Ben (23 February 2011). "All Over London, Love Hurts". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  21. ^ "In Focus: Acting, Vol. 2". BAFTA Guru. 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Dargis, Manhola (20 September 2018). "Review: 'Colette' and One Woman's Lust for Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  25. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (22 January 2018). "Colette review – Keira Knightley is on top form in exhilarating literary biopic". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  26. ^ Mottram, James (March 2019). "Keira Knightley interview: 'I've got a f**k it button. Sometimes it gets pushed'". iNews. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ "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.