Keanu Reeves
- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Keanu Charles Reeves, whose first name means "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian, was born September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is the son of Patric Reeves, a showgirl and costume designer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves, a geologist. Keanu's father was born in Hawaii, of Native Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry while Keanu's mother is originally from Essex England. After his parents' marriage dissolved, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister, Kim Reeves, to New York City, then Toronto. Stepfather #1 was Paul Aaron, a stage and film director - he and Patricia divorced within a year, after which she went on to marry (and divorce) rock promoter Robert Miller. Reeves never reconnected with his biological father. In high school, Reeves was lukewarm toward academics but took a keen interest in ice hockey (as team goalie, he earned the nickname "The Wall") and drama. He eventually dropped out of school to pursue an acting career.
After a few stage gigs and a handful of made-for-TV movies, he scored a supporting role in the Rob Lowe hockey flick Youngblood (1986), which was filmed in Canada. Shortly after the production wrapped, Reeves packed his bags and headed for Hollywood. Reeves popped up on critics' radar with his performance in the dark adolescent drama, River's Edge (1986), and landed a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated Mối Quan Hệ Nguy Hiểm (1988) with director Stephen Frears.
His first popular success was the role of totally rad dude Ted "Theodore" Logan in Cuộc Phiêu Lưu Kỳ Thú Của Bill & Ted (1989). The wacky time-travel movie became something of a cultural phenomenon, and audiences would forever confuse Reeves's real-life persona with that of his doofy on-screen counterpart. He then joined the casts of Ron Howard's comedy, Làm Cha Mẹ (1989) and Lawrence Kasdan's I Love You to Death (1990).
Over the next few years, Reeves tried to shake the Ted stigma with a series of highbrow projects. He played a slumming rich boy opposite River Phoenix's narcoleptic male hustler in My Own Private Idaho (1991), an unlucky lawyer who stumbles into the vampire's lair in Bá Tước Dracula (1992), and Shakespearean party-pooper Don John in Có Gì Đâu Mà Rộn (1993).
In 1994, the understated actor became a big-budget action star with the release of Tốc Độ (1994). Its success heralded an era of five years in which Reeves would alternate between small films, like Feeling Minnesota (1996) and The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997), and big films like Dạo Bước Trên Mây (1995) and Luật Sư Của Quỷ (1997). (There were a couple misfires, too: Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and Phản Ứng Nghịch Truyền (1996).) After all this, Reeves did the unthinkable and passed on the Speed sequel, but he struck box-office gold again a few years later with the Wachowski siblings' cyberadventure, Ma Trận (1999).
Now a bonafide box-office star, Keanu would appear in a string of smaller films -- among them The Replacements (2000), The Watcher (2000), Những Lá Bài Ma Thuật (2000), Tháng Mười Một Ngọt Ngào (2001), and Hard Ball (2001) - before Ma Trận: Tái Lập (2003) and Ma Trận: Cuộc Cách Mạng (2003) were both released in 2003.
Since the end of The Matrix trilogy, Keanu has divided his time between mainstream and indie fare, landing hits with Điều Chia Sẻ Ngọt Ngào (2003), Ngôi Nhà Bên Hồ (2006), and Bá Vương Đường Phố (2008). He's kept Matrix fans satiated with films such as Người Đi Dưới Địa Ngục (2005), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and Ngày Trái Đất Ngừng Quay (2008). And he's waded back into art-house territory with Ellie Parker (2005), Thumbsucker (2005), Chuyện Đời Tư (2009), and Tội Ác Của Henry (2010).
Most recently, as post-production on the samurai epic 47 Lãng Nhân (2013) waged on, Keanu appeared in front of the camera in Side by Side (2012), a documentary on celluloid and digital filmmaking, which he also produced. He also directed another Asian-influenced project, Thái Cuc Hiep (2013).
In 2014, Keanu played the title role in the action revenge film Sát Thủ John Wick (2014), which became popular with critics and audiences alike. He reprised the role in Sát Thủ John Wick: Chương 2 (2017), taking the now-iconic character to a better opening weekend and even more enthusiastic reviews than the first go-around.
After a few stage gigs and a handful of made-for-TV movies, he scored a supporting role in the Rob Lowe hockey flick Youngblood (1986), which was filmed in Canada. Shortly after the production wrapped, Reeves packed his bags and headed for Hollywood. Reeves popped up on critics' radar with his performance in the dark adolescent drama, River's Edge (1986), and landed a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated Mối Quan Hệ Nguy Hiểm (1988) with director Stephen Frears.
His first popular success was the role of totally rad dude Ted "Theodore" Logan in Cuộc Phiêu Lưu Kỳ Thú Của Bill & Ted (1989). The wacky time-travel movie became something of a cultural phenomenon, and audiences would forever confuse Reeves's real-life persona with that of his doofy on-screen counterpart. He then joined the casts of Ron Howard's comedy, Làm Cha Mẹ (1989) and Lawrence Kasdan's I Love You to Death (1990).
Over the next few years, Reeves tried to shake the Ted stigma with a series of highbrow projects. He played a slumming rich boy opposite River Phoenix's narcoleptic male hustler in My Own Private Idaho (1991), an unlucky lawyer who stumbles into the vampire's lair in Bá Tước Dracula (1992), and Shakespearean party-pooper Don John in Có Gì Đâu Mà Rộn (1993).
In 1994, the understated actor became a big-budget action star with the release of Tốc Độ (1994). Its success heralded an era of five years in which Reeves would alternate between small films, like Feeling Minnesota (1996) and The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997), and big films like Dạo Bước Trên Mây (1995) and Luật Sư Của Quỷ (1997). (There were a couple misfires, too: Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and Phản Ứng Nghịch Truyền (1996).) After all this, Reeves did the unthinkable and passed on the Speed sequel, but he struck box-office gold again a few years later with the Wachowski siblings' cyberadventure, Ma Trận (1999).
Now a bonafide box-office star, Keanu would appear in a string of smaller films -- among them The Replacements (2000), The Watcher (2000), Những Lá Bài Ma Thuật (2000), Tháng Mười Một Ngọt Ngào (2001), and Hard Ball (2001) - before Ma Trận: Tái Lập (2003) and Ma Trận: Cuộc Cách Mạng (2003) were both released in 2003.
Since the end of The Matrix trilogy, Keanu has divided his time between mainstream and indie fare, landing hits with Điều Chia Sẻ Ngọt Ngào (2003), Ngôi Nhà Bên Hồ (2006), and Bá Vương Đường Phố (2008). He's kept Matrix fans satiated with films such as Người Đi Dưới Địa Ngục (2005), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and Ngày Trái Đất Ngừng Quay (2008). And he's waded back into art-house territory with Ellie Parker (2005), Thumbsucker (2005), Chuyện Đời Tư (2009), and Tội Ác Của Henry (2010).
Most recently, as post-production on the samurai epic 47 Lãng Nhân (2013) waged on, Keanu appeared in front of the camera in Side by Side (2012), a documentary on celluloid and digital filmmaking, which he also produced. He also directed another Asian-influenced project, Thái Cuc Hiep (2013).
In 2014, Keanu played the title role in the action revenge film Sát Thủ John Wick (2014), which became popular with critics and audiences alike. He reprised the role in Sát Thủ John Wick: Chương 2 (2017), taking the now-iconic character to a better opening weekend and even more enthusiastic reviews than the first go-around.
