Keanu Reeves

Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, he made his acting debut in the Canadian television series Hangin' In (1984), before making his feature film debut in Youngblood (1986). Reeves had his breakthrough role in the science fiction comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), and he reprised his role in its sequels. He gained praise for playing a hustler in the independent drama My Own Private Idaho (1991) and established himself as an action hero with leading roles in Point Break (1991) and Speed (1994).


Following several box office disappointments, Reeves's performance in the horror film The Devil's Advocate (1997) was well received. Greater stardom came for playing Neo in The Matrix (1999), with Reeves becoming the highest paid actor for a single production for reprising the role in the sequels Reloaded and Revolutions.^[9] He played John Constantine in Constantine (2005) and starred in the romantic drama The Lake House (2006), the science fiction thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), and the crime thriller Street Kings (2008). Following another commercially down period, Reeves made a career comeback by playing the titular assassin in the action film John Wick (2014) and its subsequent instalments. In 2020, The New York Times called him one of the greatest actors of the 21st century,^[10] and Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.^[11]


In addition to acting, Reeves has directed the film Man of Tai Chi (2013). He plays bass guitar for the band Dogstar and pursued other endeavours such as developing the BRZRKR franchise and has participated in philanthropic causes.

Early life

Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 2, 1964, the son of Patricia (née Taylor), a costume designer and performer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr. His mother is English, originating from Essex.^[12] His American father is from Hawaii, and is of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, English, Irish, and Portuguese descent.^[5][13][14] Reeves's paternal grandmother is of Chinese and Hawaiian descent.^[15] His mother was working in Beirut when she met his father,^[16] who abandoned his wife and family when Reeves was three years old. Reeves last met his father on the Hawaiian island of Kauai when he was 13.^[17]


After his parents divorced in 1966, his mother moved the family to Sydney,^[17][18] and then to New York City, where she married Paul Aaron, a Broadway and Hollywood director, in 1970.^[17] The couple moved to Toronto and divorced in 1971. When Reeves was nine, he took part in a theatre production of Damn Yankees.^[19] Aaron remained close to Reeves, offering him advice and recommending him a job at the Hedgerow Theatre in Pennsylvania.^[17] Reeves's mother married Robert Miller, a rock music promoter, in 1976; the couple divorced in 1980. Reeves and his sisters grew up primarily in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto, with a nanny caring for them frequently.^[17][20] Because of his grandmother's Chinese ethnicity, Reeves grew up with Chinese art, furniture, and cuisine.^[21] Reeves watched British comedy shows such as The Two Ronnies, and his mother imparted English manners that he has maintained into adulthood.^[22]


Describing himself as a "private kid",^[23] Reeves attended four different high schools, including the Etobicoke School of the Arts, from which he was expelled. Reeves said he was expelled because he was "just a little too rambunctious and shot my mouth off once too often... I was not generally the most well-oiled machine in the school".^[24] Reeves has dyslexia and has said, "Because I had trouble reading, I wasn't a good student".^[25] At De La Salle College, he was a successful ice hockey goalkeeper. Reeves had aspirations to play for the Canadian Olympic team but decided to become an actor when he was 15.^[26] After leaving De La Salle College, he attended Avondale Secondary Alternative School, which allowed him to get an education while working as an actor. Reeves dropped out of high school when he was 17.^[27] He obtained a green card through his American stepfather and moved to Los Angeles three years later.^[17] Reeves holds only Canadian citizenship.^[7][8]

Censorship

In 2022, Reeves's recitation of the Beat poem "Pull My Daisy" for a virtual benefit concert for Tibet House US, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, angered Chinese nationalists.^{[264][265][266]} Reeves's films have been banned from streaming platforms in China such as iQiyi, Tencent Video and Youku.^[267][268]