Keira Knightley by Alasdair McLellan for System Magazine #18

Keira Christina Knightley (born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. She has worked in the British and American film industries, and has starred in Broadway and West End theatre productions. She has won an Empire Award and multiple nominations for British Academy, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards.

Knightley began acting as a child on television and made her feature film debut in 1995; she played such supporting roles as Sabé in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and Frankie Smith in the psychological horror film The Hole (2001). She made her breakthrough with the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham, and achieved international fame in 2003 after playing Elizabeth Swann in the $4.5 billion-grossing Pirates of the Caribbean film series. Her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 romantic drama film Pride & Prejudice earned her critical acclaim and a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards. She later became known for her roles as the heroines of other such period dramas as the 2007 productions Atonement and Silk and the 2012 release Anna Karenina.

Knightley's performances in independent films including the dramas The Duchess (2009) and Never Let Me Go (2010) were well received; both the roles earned her nominations at the British Independent Film Awards. In 2014, she was nominated for the London Film Critics' Circle's British Actress of the Year Award for her performances as an aspiring singer-songwriter in the musical romantic comedy Begin Again, a young underachiever in the comedy drama Laggies, and Joan Clarke in the historical drama The Imitation Game. For the last of the aforementioned, she also garnered nominations for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Knightley's West End debut in Martin Crimp's 2009 production The Misanthrope was well received and earned her a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award. She also starred as the eponymous heroine in the 2015 Broadway production of the 1873 naturalist play Thérèse Raquin. She was appointed as the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours for her services to drama and charity.