Keanu Reeves

Keanu Charles Reeves (/kiˈɑːnuː/ kee-AH-noo; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades, he is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public image, and his philanthropic efforts. In 2020, The New York Times ranked him as the fourth-greatest actor of the 21st century, and in 2022 Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves made his acting debut in the Canadian television series Hangin' In (1984), before making his feature-film debut in Youngblood (1986). He had his breakthrough role in the science-fiction comedies Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991). He gained praise for playing a hustler in the independent drama My Own Private Idaho (1991) and established himself as an action hero with leading roles in Point Break (1991) and Speed (1994). Following several box-office disappointments, Reeves's performance in the horror film The Devil's Advocate (1997) was well received. Greater stardom came with his role as Neo in The Matrix (1999); Reeves became the highest paid actor for a single production for reprising the role in its 2003 sequels Reloaded and Revolutions. He also played John Constantine in Constantine (2005).

Reeves made his film directorial debut with Man of Tai Chi (2013). Following a period in which he enjoyed limited commercial success, he made a career comeback by playing the titular assassin in the action film series John Wick (2014–present). Reeves voiced Duke Caboom in Toy Story 4 (2019) and portrayed Johnny Silverhand in the video game Cyberpunk 2077 (2020) as well as its expansion. He has since reprised his roles of Ted in Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) and Neo in The Matrix: Resurrections (2021), and voiced Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024).

In addition to acting, Reeves is a member of the musical band Dogstar, releasing albums including Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees (2023). He is the co-writer and creator of the BRZRKR franchise, which started with the original comic book (2021–2023) and since expanded to include numerous spin-offs, including The Book of Elsewhere (2024). An avid motorcyclist, Reeves is the co-founder of the custom manufacturer ARCH Motorcycle. He also co-founded the production company Company Films.

Keanu Charles Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 2, 1964, the son of Patricia (née Taylor), a costume designer and performer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr. His mother is English, originating from Essex. His American father is from Hawaii, and is of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, English, and Portuguese descent. Reeves's paternal grandmother is of Hawaiian and Chinese descent. His mother was working in Beirut when she met his father, who abandoned his wife and family when Reeves was three years old. Reeves last met his father on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i when he was thirteen.

After his parents divorced in 1966, his mother moved the family to Sydney, Australia, and then to New York City, where she married Paul Aaron, a Broadway and Hollywood director, in 1970. The couple moved to Toronto and divorced in 1971. When Reeves was nine, he took part in a theatre production of Damn Yankees. Aaron remained close to Reeves, offering him advice and recommending him a job at the Hedgerow Theatre in Pennsylvania. Reeves's mother married Robert Miller, a rock music promoter, in 1976; the couple divorced in 1980. Reeves and his sisters grew up primarily in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto, with a nanny frequently caring for them. Reeves watched British comedy shows such as The Two Ronnies, and his mother imparted English manners that he has maintained into adulthood. Because of his grandmother's Chinese ethnicity, Reeves grew up with Chinese art, furniture, and cuisine.

Describing himself as a "private kid", Reeves attended four different high schools, including the Etobicoke School of the Arts, from which he was expelled. Reeves said he was expelled because he was "just a little too rambunctious and shot my mouth off once too often ... I was not generally the most well-oiled machine in the school". Reeves has dyslexia and has said, "Because I had trouble reading, I wasn't a good student". At De La Salle College, he was a successful ice hockey goalkeeper. Reeves had aspirations to play for the Canadian Olympic team and was once considered an OHL prospect, but his hockey career ended due to injury. At the age of fifteen, he decided he wanted to become an actor. After leaving De La Salle College, he attended Avondale Secondary Alternative School, which allowed him to get an education while working as an actor. Reeves dropped out of high school when he was seventeen. He obtained a green card through his American stepfather and moved to Los Angeles three years later. Reeves holds only Canadian citizenship.

In 1984, Reeves was a correspondent for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) youth television program Going Great. That same year, he made his acting debut in an episode of the television series, called Hangin' In. In 1985, he played Mercutio in a stage production of Romeo and Juliet at the Leah Posluns Theatre in North York, Ontario. He made further appearances on stage, including Brad Fraser's cult hit Wolfboy in Toronto. He also appeared in a Coca-Cola commercial in 1983, and in the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) coming-of-age, short film One Step Away. Reeves later said that, when he was looking for work in the mid-1980s, his agents advised him to go by a different name because his first name was "too ethnic". He briefly initialized his first and middle name and attended auditions as "K. C." or "Casey" Reeves before reverting to Keanu.