Keira Knightley

In some families, one is not always expected to follow the footsteps of what the parents have taken as their profession, and this unexpectedly had occurred in the life of Keira Knightley. Even though she is the daughter of British actor William Knightley and a playwright named Sharman McDonald, this enchanting brunette at first was discouraged to enter the entertainment industry when she revealed her intention to be an actress at a very young age. After she kept repeating her desire for the next several years, her mother eventually gave in with one condition. The six-years-old girl had to study during the school holidays and was obliged to put education on her priority before acting. This was a difficult task due to her struggle with dyslexia, yet she tried hard to finally excel at school.

Born on March 26, 1985 in Teddington, Middlesex, England as Keira Christina Knightley, she earned her first appearance at the age of seven through a TV movie entitled "Royal Celebration" (1993). In the following year, she had already made her big screen debut playing a minor role in "A Village Affair." Continuing her study at Teddington Comprehensive School, she starred in "Innocent Lies" (1995), "Treasure Seekers" (1996), while getting an "introducing..." title in an adaptation of Rosamunde Pilcher's novel, "Coming Home" (1998). A promising chance approached when she joined the cast of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" (1999) to portray Sabe, the handmaiden and decoy of Queen Amidala played by Natalie Portman. Apparently she was selected because of her close resemblance to the beautiful actress.