Keanu Reeves Biography

Keanu (which means "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian) Charles Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 2nd, 1964. His father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves, was a Chinese-Hawaiian geologist while his British mother, Patricia Taylor, was a 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.

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 as a goaltender that he was nicknamed The Wall.

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.

In 1986, he packed up $3,000 and his belongings in an old Volvo and drove to Hollywood with the hopes of contacting his first stepfather Paul Aaron. He quickly hired a manager, and at the time it was suggested that he change his name to "K.C. Reeves." Eventually, he went back to the more exotic Keanu.

In addition to five television movies in 1986, includinga remake of Babes in Toyland starring Drew Barrymore, Keanu starred in the dark teen angst drama, River's Edge (1986). Oliver Stone offered him the part of Chris Taylor in Platoon (1986), but he turned it down and it went to Charlie Sheen instead.

A string of little movies followed in 1988 -- The Night Before, Permanent Record and The Prince of Pennsylvania -- before Keanu appeared in a major motion picture, the Oscar-winning Dangerous Liaisons with John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer and Uma Thurman.

The following year, Keanu auditioned for a little time-travel comedy called Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). Although he originally tried out for the part of Bill Preston, he was ultimately chosen to star as harebrained slacker Ted. The film was a hit and his "excellent, dude" attitude became his trademark.

After landing supporting roles in Parenthood (1989) and the Kevin Kline comedy I Love You to Death (1990), Reeves returned to starring roles with Tune in Tomorrow... (1990) and Point Break (1991), a movie about a young FBI agent who must infiltrate a gang of surfers in order to catch bank robbers.

His next projects were Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), My Own Private Idaho (1991), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), and the unsuccessful Bernardo Bertolucci film, Little Buddha (1993).

What came next was a role that would change his career and introduce him to a whole new audience. Keanu Reeves was cast in the summer blockbuster Speed (1994), about a bomb on a bus filled with passengers. Grossing almost $300 million at the worldwide box office and making a star of a then unknown Sandra Bullock, Keanu was established as a bona fide movie star who could carry a movie.

Reeves continued alternating between small dramas and bigger movies, with the films Johnny Mnemonic (1995), A Walk in the Clouds (1995), Chain Reaction (1996), Feeling Minnesota (1996), and The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997). In 1997, he joined Al Pacino and Charlize Theron in the supernatural thriller, The Devil's Advocate.

With his status as an action star still intact from a few years ago, especially since he had refused to appear in the Speed sequel, Keanu was offered a starring role in a science-fiction picture by the Wachowski brothers. That flick was The Matrix (1999), a film nobody expected would go on to become a cult classic and earn almost half a billion dollars in worlwide box-office receipts.

Commanding a salary of over $12 million per film, Reeves appeared in the football comedy The Replacements (2000), The Watcher (2000), The Gift (2000), Sweet November (2001), and Hard Ball (2001) with Diane Lane.

Reeves' following films were The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions (he received a paycheck of $15 million plus 15% of the gross, for both sequels), and the Jack Nicholson vehicle Something's Gotta Give, all released in 2003. Thumbsucker (2004), the comic book adaptation Constantine (2005), and Tripoli (2007), are Keanu's next projects.

Keanu Reeves is also an avid musician. He used to play bass in the rock band Dogstar, which released the album Our Little Visionary in 1996. Since 2002, he joined a new band, Becky, along with former Dogstar member Rob Mailhouse. A private man by nature, Keanu Reeves reportedly splits his time between Beverly Hills and Toronto.

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KEANU REEVES BIOGRAPHY