KEANU REEVES BIOGRAPHY
Keanu (which means "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian) Charles Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 2, 1964. His father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves, is a former Chinese-Hawaiian geologist, while his British mother, Patricia Taylor, is a former showgirl. In 1966, after the birth of second child Kim, the family moved to Australia for a year.
But soon, Patricia and Samuel divorced. With custody of the children, Patricia moved to New York City, where she married stage director Paul Aaron. The family relocated to Toronto, Canada, and became Canadian citizens.
Keanu reeves early on
A year later, the couple divorced and Patricia was subsequently married to rock promoter Robert Miller, a move that led to her gig as a costume designer for rock stars like Alice Cooper. In 1976, Keanu welcomed sister number two, Karina, to the family.
Keanu's early education began at Toronto's Jesse Ketchum Public School. Next, he attended four different high schools including the Toronto School for the Performing Arts. But he had little interest in academics and the only fun he had in school was studying drama and playing ice hockey. He was so good at goaltending that he was nicknamed "The Wall."
Keanu reeves makes his debut
Reeves eventually dropped out of school without getting his degree. He wanted to be an actor but it was difficult to get work, even though he studied at the famous Second City workshop in Toronto for a year. To make ends meet, he worked in landscaping, sharpened skates at an ice rink, and even managed a pasta restaurant.
In 1980, Reeves was cast in a television commercial for Coca-Cola. A few years later, a commercial for Kellogg's Corn Flakes was added to his resume. At the same time, he got some stage work appearing in Wolfboy in 1984 and as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet a year later.
Two small movies followed in 1985: television's Letting Go with John Ritter, and the little-seen One Step Away. His big break came shortly after when he joined the cast of Youngblood (1986), a hockey film starring Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze. From that moment, Keanu knew he could make it in the movies.
Keanu Reeves received his first acting paycheck for doing a Canadian Coca-Cola commercial in 1980, and four years later he was in another ad, this time for Kellogg's Corn Flakes. He continued making a name for himself on the Toronto theater circuit with plays such as Wolfboy in 1984 and Romeo and Juliet in 1985.
After the made-for-TV movie Letting Go (1985) and the film One Step Away (1985), Reeves could be seen in Youngblood (his American film debut, in 1986), River's Edge (1986), Flying (1986), and five television movies, including Young Again (1986) and the remake of Babes in Toyland (1986), a made-for-TV film starring Drew Barrymore.
In 1988, Reeves appeared in The Night Before, Permanent Record, The Prince of Pennsylvania, and the Academy Award-winning Dangerous Liaisons with Uma Thurman. He followed it up with the cult classic, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).
Keanu's next projects were Parenthood (1989), I Love You to Death (1990), Tune in Tomorrow... (1990), and Point Break (1991), as an FBI agent going undercover as a surfer. Then came two other 1991 features: Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and My Own Private Idaho.
With his stock rising, Reeves appeared in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), and Little Buddha (1993), as the mythical Siddhartha. The international blockbuster Speed (1994) then established him as an action hero and made Sandra Bullock a star.
The following titles on his resume -- Johnny Mnemonic (1995), A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Chain Reaction (1996), Feeling Minnesota (1996), and The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997) -- were disappointments. However, Reeves came back in top form with The Devil's Advocate (1997) and The Matrix (1999).
Following The Replacements, The Watcher and The Gift, all 2000 features, he starred in Hard Ball (2001) and the chick flick Sweet November (2001) with Charlize Theron. In 2003, Reeves was busy with The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions and Something's Gotta Give with Jack Nicholson.
Keanu came back strong in 2005 with the title role in Constantine. He'll be even busier in 2006, with the release of A Scanner Darkly, Il Mare (which reunites him with Sandra Bullock)