Keira Knightley born in Teddington, London, England, in 1983, young Knightley was noticed by the lure of cinema at an early age. Reported to have asked her parents for a manager at the age of three, playwright mother Sharman McDonald and actor father Will Knightley were at first reluctant to let their daughter follow them into show business. Although they would put up her wish three years later, their strict demand that their daughter study through school holidays and only take jobs that didn't interfere with her education ensured that Keira would keep her priorities straight.

Trained in dance from an early age, Keira Knightley made her film debut when she was 12 in Moira Armstrong's romantic drama A Village Affair. Gradually climbing the credits with subsequent roles in Innocent Lies (1995) and the made-for-TV features Treasure Seekers (1996) and Coming Home (1998), she got her first big break when cast as the decoy queen in the eagerly anticipated Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Knightley appeared like the actual queen, performed by Natalie Portman so much that her mother couldn't distinguish the two and some fans still insist both were portrayed by Portman. Taking back her own face for the television miniseries Oliver Twist (2000), Knightley stayed with the small screen as Robin Hood's daughter in the 2001 adventure Princess of Thieves.

Although audiences would truly begin to take note of her talent in the thriller The Hole that same year, her star-making turn in the sleeper comedy drama Bend It Like Beckham beloved her to audiences everywhere and ultimately served as her breakthrough role. Playing the best friend to star Parminder K. Nagra, Knightley proved that she could turn what might have been little more than a noteworthy supporting role into a truly memorable, scene-stealing performance.

As Lara Antipova in the 2002 miniseries Doctor Zhivago, the actress gracefully slipped into a role that was previously made famous by Julie Christie, and the timeless romantic drama proved a hit with U.K. television viewers. With the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, audiences marveled at eccentric actor Johnny Depp's quirky portrayal of pirate Jack Sparrow, although, as the beautiful young maiden whose blood may hold the key to life for a group of undead pirates, Knightley once again turned in a memorable performance.

In 2004 Knightley appeared in the blockbuster King Arthur, which, although criticised for its numerous historical inaccuracies, was praised by critic Roger Ebert for "the considerable production qualities and the charisma of the actors, who bring more interest to the characters than they deserve", Knightley being described as looking "simultaneously sexy and muddy" fitting in with the current vogue for strong female action heroes (something which Knightley repeated in a modern setting in the 2005 film Domino). Knightley's dedication to developing herself as an actress rather than a movie star was noted by Time magazine in a 2004 feature. In July 2004, Knightley was voted by readers of Hello! magazine as the movie industry's most promising teen star. Additionally, Knightley was voted the sexiest movie star of all time by the readers of Empire magazine, leaving behind other stars such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Julia Roberts, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot.

Beside acting, Knightley is currently modelling for Asprey, a British luxury items company. She is trained in dancing and is a supporter of West Ham United football team. In 2005 Knightley starred in the title role of Tony Scott's film Domino inspired by the life of his friend Domino Harvey, a British born model-turned- L.A. bounty hunter who died in July 2005 of an overdose aged 35. Ebert commented that, although the movie is "fractured and maddening" it is also "alive", praising Knightley for her ability to play a diversity of roles. In contrast to Knightley's role in the same year of the regency englishwoman Elizabeth Bennett in a film adaption of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with Donald Sutherland and Matthew Macfadyen. Recently opening at No.1 in the UK box office, it is her sixth film to do so in her career.