37th birthday: Keira Knightley: In record speed to movie stardom

37th birthday
Keira Knightley: Becoming a movie star in record time

Keira Knightley turns 37. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire/dpa

© dpa-infocom GmbH

Whether Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom – as a globally acclaimed actress, Keira Knightley works with the greats of the business.

Keira Knightley probably finally celebrated her breakthrough in the role of Elisabeth Swan in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film series. Fans were regularly able to admire her performance as a strong woman in front of the camera. This Saturday (March 26) she will be 37 years old.

Using the familiarity

Keira Knightley, who was born in London in 1985 as the first of two children, was able to gain a foothold in the film business relatively quickly. Certainly, the celebrity of her parents also helped her. As the daughter of actor Will Knightley and writer Sharman MaxDonalds, she was able to go her own way. But anyone who thinks their success is built solely on that of their parents is wrong.

Without ever having attended drama school, she threw herself directly into the work. She tried to build her brand with many engagements. At the age of nine she made her debut in “An Outrageous Affair”. In 1999 she was seen on the set of “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” as a double for her star colleague Natalie Portman.

Blockbusters lead to breakthroughs

Especially at the beginning of the 2000s, Keira Knightley could be seen in many well-known blockbusters on the big screen. As a wild warrior in “King Arthur” or as the king’s daughter Elisabeth Swan in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films – all strong female roles. She matured and grew alongside movie stars like Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom and was able to outgrow her shadows.

She has now been nominated twice for an Oscar. 2006 in the leading actress category in “Pride and Prejudice”, a few years later, in 2015, as a supporting actress in “The Imitation Game – a top secret life”. Knightley is considered a huge star in the acting sky, pocketing fees in the double-digit million dollar range and is the face of numerous campaigns.

At the age of 21, she was voted number one in Britain’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World. In 2007, she sued a British newspaper after it claimed she had anorexia. She vehemently denied the allegations and clarified about anorexia. Two years later, she appeared in a TV clip that raised awareness about domestic violence. Due to the violence, the clip was censored and cut in some places.

In 2013, she married Klaxons keyboardist James Righton in France. The couple have two children together.

dpa

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