Keanu Reeves

Birth Date:

September 2, 1964

Birth Name:

Keanu Charles Reeves

Birth Place:

Beirut, Lebanon

Nick Name:

The Wall

Film Debut:

Youngblood 1986

Breakthrough Film:

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure 1989

Biography

Keanu Charles Reeves was born on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon, to English-born costume designer and performer Patricia Taylor and geologist Samuel Nowlin Reeves, who was of Hawaiian, Chinese, English, and Portuguese descent. After his parents separated, he moved with his mother and sister to New York and later settled in Toronto, Canada, where he grew up. As a teenager he was more passionate about ice hockey than academics, earning the nickname The Wall as a goalie, and he eventually left high school to focus on acting. He began with local stage work and Canadian television before making his feature film debut.

Reeves first drew notice with supporting roles in the mid-1980s, including the hockey drama Youngblood and the intense independent film River’s Edge. His breakthrough to wider popularity came with the offbeat comedy Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure in 1989, in which he played the endearing and dim-witted Ted Logan. The film’s success led to a sequel and established him as a bankable leading man. He followed with a mix of action, drama, and independent projects, including Point Break, My Own Private Idaho, and the thriller Speed, which became a major box-office hit and solidified his action-star credentials.

In 1999 Reeves achieved global superstardom as Neo in The Matrix, a groundbreaking science-fiction film that redefined visual effects and action cinema and spawned successful sequels. He later reinvented himself once more with the John Wick franchise, beginning in 2014, portraying a stylish and relentless assassin that brought him renewed critical and commercial success. Known for his humility, generosity, and reserved public persona, Reeves has balanced blockbuster roles with quieter independent work and has remained one of the most enduring and beloved figures in contemporary Hollywood.

Movie Portfolio