At just 21 years of age Keira Knightley confirmed her status as a rising star with Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress for her acclaimed performance as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright’s PRIDE & PREJUDICE.
More recently she was nominated for a Golden Globe and received a BAFTA nomination for her role in the critically acclaimed ATONEMENT, directed by Joe Wright from the novel by Ian McEwan.
Knightley first made headlines in Gurinder Chadha’s hit, BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, for which she won the London Critics Circle Award for British Newcomer of the Year. She was then selected by director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer to star opposite Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush in the 2003 worldwide blockbuster PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL which was followed with the international box office smash hits: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MANS CHEST and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLDS END.
Knightley’s diverse range of credits include Tony Scott’s action drama DOMINO, Antoine Fuqua and Jerry Bruckheimer’s KING ARTHUR, John Maybury’s thriller THE JACKET opposite Adrien Brody, and as part of the impressive ensemble cast in Richard Curtis’ LOVE ACTUALLY with Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy and Emma Thompson amongst others.
Making her professional acting debut at the age of six on British television in “Royal Celebration, some of Knightley’s early credits include “A Village Affair” and “Innocent Lies” as well as performances in the TV series “The Bill” and the TV films “Treasure Seekers, “Coming Home” and Walt Disney’s “Princess of Thieves. Knightley’s mini-series credits include “Oliver Twist” and the adaptation of Boris Pasternak’s classic novel “Doctor Zhivago. Her other feature film credits include STAR WARS: EPISODE I THE PHANTOM MENACE, THE HOLE, PURE and more recently she was seen in the adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s best-selling novel SILK for director Franois Girard, co-starring with Michael Pitt.
Knightley can currently be seen in THE EDGE OF LOVE alongside Cillian Murphy, Sienna Miller and Matthew Rhys in which she takes the role of Vera Phillips. Directed by John Maybury, the film is based on the early life of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
Knightley was chosen to be the face of Coco Mademoiselle for Chanel. This marked by her third collaboration with Joe Wright, as writer and director of her debut commercial for the brand.
