Acting · Teddington, London, England, UK · Born March 26, 1985
Keira Christina Knightley (born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. She has starred in both independent films and big-budget blockbusters and is particularly noted for her roles in period dramas. Her accolades include two Empire Awards and nominations for two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award and one Laurence Olivier Award. Knightley was appointed an OBE in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity. Born in London to actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald, Knightley obtained an agent at age six and initially worked commercials and television films. She appeared as Sabé, Padmé Amidala's handmaiden, in the science fiction blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). Knightley had a break-through role portraying a tomboy footballer in the sports film Bend It Like Beckham (2002). She achieved global stardom with her portrayal of Elizabeth Swann in the fantasy swashbuckler series Pirates of the Caribbean. In the same year, she appeared in the Christmas romantic comedy Love Actually (2003) and was labelled a promising teen star. For her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in the period romance Pride & Prejudice (2005), Knightley was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. At age 20, she became the third-youngest Best Actress nominee at the time. Knightley starred in a series of further period pieces, portraying a complex love interest in Atonement (2007), tastemaker Georgiana Cavendish in The Duchess (2008), and the titular socialite in Anna Karenina (2012). She then forayed into contemporary dramas, appearing as an aspiring musician in Begin Again (2013) and a medical student in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). Knightley returned to historical films by playing cryptoanalyst Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game (2014), earning her a second round of Academy Award and BAFTA nominations, and starred as the eponymous belle époque writer in Colette (2018) to critical acclaim. On stage, Knightley has appeared in two West End productions: The Misanthrope in 2009, which earned her an Olivier Award nomination, and The Children's Hour in 2011. She also starred as the eponymous heroine in the 2015 Broadway production of Thérèse Raquin. Knightley is known for her outspoken stance on social issues, and has worked extensively with Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Comic Relief. She is married to musician James Righton, with whom she has two daughters.
TVBehind The Mic: The Making of The Harry Potter Full-Cast Audio Editions
2026
as Herself
MovieThe Perfect Gift
2025
as Herself
MovieThe Woman in Cabin 10
2025
as Laura 'Lo' Blacklock
TVBlack Doves
2024
as Helen Webb
MovieThe Sound Collector
2024
as Self - Narrator (voice)
MovieBoston Strangler
2023
as Loretta McLaughlin
TVThe Sound Collector
2023
as Narrator
MovieCharlotte
2022
as Charlotte Salomon (voice)
MovieSilent Night
2021
as Nell
MovieMisbehaviour
2020
as Sally Alexander
MovieBerlin, I Love You
2019
as Jane
TVMy Grandparents' War
2019
as Self
MovieGreed
2019
as Self
MovieOfficial Secrets
2019
as Katharine Gun
MovieThe Aftermath
2019
as Rachael Morgan
MovieThe Nutcracker and the Four Realms
2018
as Sugar Plum Fairy
MovieColette
2018
as Colette
MoviePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
2017
as Elizabeth Swann
MovieRed Nose Day Actually
2017
as Juliet
MovieCollateral Beauty
2016
as Amy Moore
TVDiscovering Fashion
2016
as Self (archive footage)
MovieEverest
2015
as Jan Arnold
TVThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self - Guest
TVVariety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
as Self
MovieThe Imitation Game
2014
as Joan Clarke
MovieLaggies
2014
as Megan Burch
MovieBegin Again
2014
as Gretta James
TVLate Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self - Guest
TVThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
as Self - Guest
MovieJack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
2014
as Cathy Muller
MovieOnce Upon a Time...
2013
as Gabrielle Chanel
MovieWide-Awake
2012
as The Witch
MovieStars in Shorts
2012
as Woman
MovieAnna Karenina
2012
as Anna Karenina
MovieSeeking a Friend for the End of the World
2012
as Penelope "Penny" Lockhart
TVNeverland
2011
as Tinker Bell (voice)
MovieA Dangerous Method
2011
as Sabina Spielrein
MovieLondon Boulevard
2010
as Charlotte
MovieLast Night
2010
as Joanna Reed
MovieNever Let Me Go
2010
as Ruth C.
MovieSteve
2010
as Woman
MovieThe Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers
2009
as The Fairy
TVWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
MovieThe Duchess
2008
as Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
MovieThe Edge of Love
2008
as Vera Phillips
MovieRobbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind
2007
as Em (voice)
MovieSilk
2007
as Hélène Joncour
MoviePirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
2007
as Elizabeth Swann
MovieAnnie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens
2007
as Self
MovieAtonement
2007
as Cecilia Tallis
TVThe Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
MovieAccording to Plan: The Harrowing and True Story of Dead Man's Chest
2006
as Self
MoviePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2006
as Elizabeth Swann
The Reichen Show
2005
as Self
MovieDomino
2005
as Domino Harvey
MoviePride & Prejudice
2005
as Elizabeth Bennet
My Shot With
2005
MovieKing Arthur: A Roundtable Discussion
2005
as Self
MovieThe Jacket
2005
as Jackie Price
MovieBlood on the Land: The Making of a King
2004
as Self
MovieStories of Lost Souls
2004
as Leah
MovieThe Making of King Arthur
2004
MovieKing Arthur
2004
as Guinevere
MovieBelow Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates
2003
TVThe Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self
MovieLove Actually
2003
as Juliet
MoviePirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2003
as Elizabeth Swann
TVJimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self - Guest
MovieThe Seasons Alter
2002
as Helena
TVDoctor Zhivago
2002
as Larissa Ameliava 'Lara' Antipova
MovieNew Year's Eve
2002
as Leah
MoviePure
2002
as Louise
TVAmerican Idol
2002
as Self
MovieThunderpants
2002
as Music School Student
MovieBend It Like Beckham
2002
as Juliette 'Jules' Paxton
TVRichard & Judy
2001
as Self
TVFriday Night with Jonathan Ross
2001
as Self - Guest
MovieThe Hole
2001
as Frances 'Frankie' Almond Smith
MoviePrincess of Thieves
2001
as Gwyn
MovieDeflation
2001
as Jogger
TVOliver Twist
1999
as Rose Fleming
MovieStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1999
as Sabé
TVComing Home
1998
as Young Judith
MovieComing Home
1998
as Young Judith
TVThe Wonderful World of Disney
1997
as Gwyn
TVThe View
1997
as Self
MovieThe Treasure Seekers
1996
as The Princess
TVThe Daily Show
1996
as Self - Guest
MovieInnocent Lies
1995
as Young Celia
MovieA Village Affair
1995
as Natasha Jordan
MovieRoyal Celebration
1993
as Angela
TVLate Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest
TVLate Show with David Letterman
1993
as Self - Guest
TVHBO First Look
1992
as self
TVThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
TVScreen One
1989
as Angela
TVLIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self - Guest
TVThe Bill
1984
as Sheena Rose
TVEntertainment Tonight
1981
as Self
TVThe Oscars
1953
as Self
TVGolden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee
Conception
The Worst
as Holly
