Scene from Aftermath (2019)

Alternate Names: Keira Christina Knightley, เคียรา ไนต์ลีย์, 凯拉 奈特莉, کایرا نایتلی, 綺拉奈特莉

Physical Characteristics: N/A

First Appearances:

• Royal Celebration (1993) as Angela

Most Important Roles:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) as Elizabeth Swann
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) as Elizabeth Swann
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) as Elizabeth Swann
• Bend It Like Beckham (2002) as Juliette 'Jules' Paxton
• The Hole (2001) as Frances 'Frankie' Almond Smith
• Love Actually (2003) as Juliet
• Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates (2003) as
• Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) as Sabé
• An Epic At Sea: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) as Self
• Atonement (2007) as Cecilia Tallis

Career Highlights:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
• Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
• The Hole (2001)
• Love Actually (2003)
• Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates (2003)
• Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
• An Epic At Sea: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
• Atonement (2007)

Awards:

• Nominated for 1 Oscar - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (2015)
• Nominated for 1 Oscar - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (2006)
• Nominated for 1 Saturn Award - Best Actress (2012)
• Nominated for 1 Saturn Award - Best Supporting Actress (2011)
• Nominated for 1 Saturn Award - Best Supporting Actress (2004)
• Nominated for 1 Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award - Female (2004)
• Nominated for 1 BSFC Award - Best Actress (2005)
• Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award - Best Supporting Actress (2015)
• Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award - Best Leading Actress (2008)
• Nominated for 1 British Independent Film Award - Best Actress (2014)
• Nominated for 1 British Independent Film Award - Best Supporting Actress (2010)
• Nominated for 1 British Independent Film Award - Best Actress (2008)
• Won Variety Award (2005)
• Nominated for 1 Critics Choice Award - Best Actress in a Drama Series (2025)
• Nominated for 1 Critics Choice Award - Best Supporting Actress (2015)
• Nominated for 1 Critics Choice Award - Best Song (2015)
• Nominated for 1 Critics Choice Award - Best Actress (2006)
• Nominated for 1 CFCA Award - Best Actress (2006)
• Nominated for 1 DFWFCA Award - Best Supporting Actress (2014)
• Nominated for 1 DFWFCA Award - Best Actress (2005)

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 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 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.