Possessing a maturity and self-awareness well beyond her age,
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY has caught the attention of top directors in
Hollywood and Europe with her charisma and talent.
Born on March 22, 1985 to actor-writer Will Knightley and writer
Sharman MacDonald and raised in London, Knightley developed a
natural instinct for acting as a child, which led to steady work
in film and television. Her first principal role was in the
British television movie "A Village Affair." A year later she made
her feature film debut at the age of nine in "Innocent Lies,"
directed by critically acclaimed French auteur Patrice Leconte,
and starring Stephen Dorff and Adrian Dunbar.
Knightley subsequently worked on television, appearing in the
telefilm "Royal Celebration," the four-part mini-series "Coming
Home" starring Peter O'Toole and Emily Mortimer and the series
"Oliver Twist."
In 1997, at the age of 12, Knightley had the rare distinction
of being involved in the new "Star Wars" trilogy when she
played the role of Sabé, Queen Amidala's (Natalie Portman)
handmaiden who becomes her decoy in "Star Wars: Episode I - The
Phantom Menace," directed by George Lucas. The film earned
Knightley a wide international fan base, with several websites
dedicated to her and the four other actresses
(Sofia Coppola,
Karol Cristina da Silva, Friday "Liz" Wilson and Candice
Orwell) who played Amidala's handmaidens.
After her success in "Star Wars," Knightley had her first
leading role as Gwyn, Robin Hood's courageous daughter in "The
Wonderful World of Disney" presentation of "Princess of
Thieves."
Knightley recently starred opposite Thora Birch and Desmond
Harrington in the successful 2001 British thriller "The Hole,"
which she followed with "Deflation" (2001) and the
well-received football comedy "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002).
She will next be seen in "Pure" and "Monsieur N."
Knightley likes swimming, soccer, body boarding and playing the
flute. She lives in London with her parents and her cat, Finn.
![[Keira Kngightley]](keira.jpg)