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Keanu Charles Reeves was born September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon to Patricia Taylor and Samuel Nowlin
Reeves. Keanu's mom was a showgirl from England; his dad was a Chinese-Hawaiian geologist. The couple name their
son Keanu, translation "cool breeze over the mountains," after a Hawaiian ancestor. Keanu's sister Kim was born in 1966;
their parents divorced shortly thereafter.
Patricia took Keanu and Kim to New York City where they lived for a short time before relocating to Toronto,
where Keanu grew up. Patricia married stage and film director Paul Aaron, but the marriage lasted less than a year.
Two more marriages followed, one of which brought Keanu and Kim another sister, Karina, in 1976.
Never
much for academics, Keanu devoted his time in school to drama and ice hockey, a sport in which his performance as goalie earned him the nickname "The Wall." He continued to visit
his biological father in Hawaii until he was about thirteen. His father was convicted on drug charges in 1994 and served
prison time. Keanu and his father have never reconnected.
Keanu dropped out of high
school at seventeen to pursue acting. His performances in stage productions and TV movies eventually led to a role in the 1986 hit Youngblood with Rob Lowe, which was filmed in Canada. The film's success
led Keanu to pack for Hollywood.
Keanu received critical attention for River's Edge (1986). However,
it was not until Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure came out in 1989 that the public took notice. After that, Keanu's
career meandered through an unmemorable succession of films for the next several years, during which time he tried to distance himself from the Ted persona.
The blockbuster hit Speed, with Sandra Bullock, would distinguish Reeves as a big budget action star. However, this triumph would be
followed by another slump, this one lasting five years, in which Keanu made another string of forgettable films. In
1997, Keanu passed on the sequel to Speed, unheard of in Hollywood for an essentially out of work actor. Keanu felt
the script was poorly written. The film's reviews would vindicate his decision.
Keanu's
patience paid off. In 1999 he starred in The Matrix, another big action blockbuster. Feeling that the scripts to the sequels were well done this time, Reeves has starred
in Matrix Revolutions and Matrix Reloaded.
For the most part, Keanu Reeves has managed to keep his private life his own.
Unfortunately, when his name has appeared in the media, aside from his acting career, it has often been associated with tragedy. In 1999, Keanu and girlfriend Jennifer Syme lost their baby just weeks
before the due date. The couple later separated, but were reportedly rekindling their relationship when Syme was killed
in a car accident in April, 2001. Keanu's sister Kim, with whom he has always been very close, suffers from leukemia.
Keanu has done much to help his sister and others afflicted with the disease. |
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