Keanu Reeves Keanu Reeves has a rich cultural background as diverse as his many movie roles. Born September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon, Keanu grew up in Toronto, Canada, and is of mixed European, Hawaiian, Portugese, and Chinese descent. His exotic name derives from his great-great-uncle Keaweaheulu, whose name means "cool breeze over the mountains.” Early in Keanu’s career, he acted under the aliases K.C. Reeves, Norman Kreeves, and Chuck Spadina. Keanu appeared in local stage productions during his teens. He was expelled from a performing arts school and also attended a Catholic boys’ high school, but eventually dropped out altogether, never receiving his high school diploma.
After getting his start in commercials, on-stage, and in Canadian productions such as the 1986 hockey film Youngblood co-starring Rob Lowe, Keanu moved to Los Angeles in the mid-80s to further pursue an acting career. He starred in River's Edge in 1986, Permanent Record in 1988, and Dangerous Liaisons in 1988. However, Keanu’s break-out role came in the popular 1989 comedy, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. His character, Ted, was known for his surfer speech and slacker style. Keanu later voiced concerns that Ted would become the defining role of his life. He once told an interviewer, “I used to have nightmares that they would put 'He Played Ted' on my tombstone.” During the early 90s, Keanu starred in such films as Parenthood (1990), Point Break (1991), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1994), and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1994). In 1994, he was cast alongside Sandra Bullock in the box-office action hit Speed, but later turned down a role in the sequel. Following Speed, Keanu starred in the less-successful films Johnny Mnemonic in 1995 and Chain Reaction in 1996. Staying true to both his Canadian and thespian roots, in 1995, Keanu performed in a Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
In 1997, Keanu starred alongside Al Pacino and Charlize Theron in The Devil's Advocate. He deferred his salary to enable Al Pacino to get on board, a gesture he would repeat in 2000 for The Replacements, in order to ensure Gene Hackman was cast. Keanu staged a Hollywood come-back when he landed the leading role in The Matrix in 1999, a popular science-fiction and action film which was followed by two sequels in 2003: The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Reloaded. Keanu’s earnings from the Matrix films have established him as the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Following the Matrix films, Keanu took on two very diverse genres in the same year, starring in the romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give and the horror flick Constantine both in 2005. In 2006, Keanu re-teamed with Sandra Bullock for The Lake House. Prior to its June release, Keanu caused controversy by escorting Sandra, his married co-star, to the February 2006 Academy Awards. It was later confirmed that their attendance together was just a promotional stunt to promote the upcoming release of The Lakehouse. One month after The Lake House was released, A Scanner Darkly premiered, in which Keanu stars alongside actress Winona Ryder, with whom he previously shared the screen with in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Keanu is reportedly very generous to his coworkers. The technical crew and costume designers for the Matrix movies received several million dollars from Keanu’s back-end deal to the film. Stuntmen for The Matrix Reloaded also received a dozen Harley Davidson motorcycles from him. Keanu himself is an avid motorcyclist with a penchant for risky riding. In 1988, he crashed his motorcycle after foregoing headlights for a nighttime cruise. Keanu is an avid music fan and has played bass in the rock bands Dogstar and Becky. In 2005, he announced an end to his career as a musician. Keanu’s family life has been marked with tragedy in recent years. In 1999, his girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth to the couple’s stillborn daughter, and died in a car accident two years later. YUDDY |
