Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley, born 26 March 1985 in London, is an English actress and singer. She began acting as a child on television and made her film debut in 1995. She had a supporting role as Sabé in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) and her first significant role came in The Hole (2001). She achieved international fame in 2003 after appearing as Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2003–present). Since the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Knightley has become known for starring in many films, such as Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement (2007), The Duchess (2008), A Dangerous Method (2011), and Anna Karenina (2012). Knightley has also appeared in a variety of Hollywood films, including the romantic comedy Love Actually (2003), the historical action film King Arthur (2004), biographical action Domino (2005), the historical drama The Edge of Love (2008), the romantic drama Last Night (2010), and the dark comedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012). Knightley earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. Two years later she was nominated again for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, as well as the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Atonement. Keira Knightly is also the face of the Chanel perfume Mademoiselle.
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Engagement in Cultural Diplomacy
Philanthropic Donations
In 2010, Knightley became patron of the SMA Trust, a British charity that funds medical research into the disease spinal muscular atrophy. She is also supporting many other charities and programs, such as Oxfam, UNICEF, Save the Children, Cancer research UK, International Medical Corps, and more.
Notable Actions
Knightley is the face of an Amnesty International campaign to support human rights, marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For International Women's Day 2014, Knightley was one of the artist signatories of Amnesty International's letter to UK Prime Minister David Cameron, in which the organisation campaigned for women's rights in Afghanistan. She posed for photos for WaterAid in 2005 and also for the American Library Association's "Read" campaign (a promotional poster of Pride & Prejudice). In April 2009, Knightley appeared in a video to raise awareness of domestic abuse entitled Cut shot for Women's Aid.
Further Information
Video of Cut shot for Women's Aid
