Keira Knightley has made quite a name for herself in a rather short time.  This British actress began acting as a child on TV. She came in the lime light after starring in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham and gained international fame with her appearance in the Pirates of the Caribbean series (2003-07). She has done a number of period dramas and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s famous novel Pride and Prejudice. She was also nominated for these awards along with a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the movie Atonement.

Initial days                   
Keira Knightley was born to a showbiz family in London, England. Her father Will Knightley is English and is a television and theatre actor and her mother Sharman Macdonald is Scottish and Welsh and is a playwright. Keira lived in Richmond and went to Stanley Junior School, Teddington School and Esher College. At the age of six she was diagnosed with dyslexia but made a success of school and was allowed to pursue an acting career. Keira was very single minded about acting as a child and performed in a number of local productions. Though she was keen on English literature, art and history at Esher Collee she left after a year to continue her passion for acting.     
          
Career Accomplishments       
Keira acquired an agent at the age of six and started appearing on commercials and doing small TV roles. Her first such role was that of a Little Girl in a TV film Royal Celebration in 1995. She went on to do Innocent Lies (1995), Coming Home (1996), The Treasure Seekers (1996), Oliver Twist (1999) and Star War Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Her first starring role was in Walt Disney Productions feature made-for-television feature Princess of Thieves.  She also acted as the lead character Lara in the big budge miniseries Dr. Zhivago and appeared in the movie Pure. Her film Bend It Like Beckham did better than it was expected to in 2003 and the same year her movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released and became the biggest hit of the summer 2003, making her famous instantly. 2003 was a really good year for her as she did another movie Love Actually a romantic comedy which was a hit. She did only one movie King Arthur in 2004 and though the movie did not get many positive reviews her hard work in learning the boxing, fighting, and archery and taking horse riding lessons was noticed and admired. She has since appeared in a number of movies including the Pirates of the Caribbean series and is all set to appear in a number of movies including Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina with Jude Law.

Fun Facts                  
Keira credits her mother’s Black Scottish heritage for her dark looks as they were descendants fo the Spanish Armada. Her voice is considered to be the second sexiest voice; second only to that of Sir Sean Connery. At the age of twenty she was the fifth youngest woman to be nominated for an Oscar. Keira got her belly button piercing a week before she turned thirteen. She is fond of shoes and likes Prada and Jimmy Choos. She is a supporter of West Ham United football team.  Keira did her first nude scene for the movie The Hole at the age of sixteen.     

                          
Brand and Cause Affiliations   
Keira was   the new celebrity face of Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle perfume in 2006. She was also the celebrity face for the luxury brand Asprey, Shiatzy Chen and Lux hair care products in Japanese television commercials. She donated the dress she wore to the 2006 Academy Awards to Oxfam charity. She is a spokesperson for the British luxury items company Asprey and the British Dyslexia association. Keira also happens to be the face of Amnesty International campaign to support human rights marking the 60th anniversary of UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Friends, Family and Hobbies      
Keira dated actor Jamie Dornan from 2003 to 2005. She then had a relationship with Rupert Friend and stayed in it till December 2010. She started dating musician James Righton in 2011 and the two got engaged in May 2012 and got married on 4th May 2013 in Mazan, Vaucluse in South of France. The couple now lives in East London.