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Keira Knightley is an English actress who has also acted in several Hollywood movies. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role in "Pride and Prejudice". She was also nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Actress as well as for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in "Atonement".


Keira Knightley was born on 26th March 1985 to Will Knightley, an actor, and Sharman Macdonald, a playwright, in London. She started her career in mid 90s as a child actress and appeared in several television films. She got her break when she was cast in "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" an American space opera science fiction film written and directed by George Lucas. It was the fourth film in the Star war series. Her first title role came to her the next year with "Princess of Thieves". She played the daughter of Robin Hood, Gwyn.


But her breakthrough role is considered to be the one she played in the movie "Bend it like Beckham" in 2002 which was a success in UK. After its release she got her next movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" which was a huge box office success and became the biggest hit in the summer of 2003. She was noticed for her role and became the new "it girl" in the industry. In 2004, after the release of "King Arthur" she was voted for the most promising teen star by the Hello! Magazine.


"Pride and Prejudice" was released in 2005 which grossed over $100 million worldwide and she earned her Golden Globe nomination along with Oscar nomination. She became the third youngest performer ever to be nominated for Academy Awards. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" released in 2006 became one of Knightley's biggest financial hit.


She also worked in theatre making her first debut in 2009 with "The Misanthrope" which earned her many positive reviews. For her role in this play she was nominated for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Theatre Award as Best Supporting Actress.


She was the face for the luxury goods products for Asprey, Shiatzy Chen, as well as Lux hair care products. She was also the face for Chanel's perfume Coco Mademoiselle.


She is also known for her charity work and is the face of Amnesty International campaign supporting human rights. Her earnings for lending her voice for the animation "Robbie the Reindeer" was donated to Comic Relief.

Keira KnightleyKeira Knightley on chemistry with co-star Steve Carell

When "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World," you're probably going to look for one with a few "benefits." At least, that's how it plays out in Lorene Scafaria's film, which stars Keira Knightley as Penny and Steve Carell as Dodge, two neighbors who find themselves striking up an intimate relationship when faced with the doomsday scenario of an asteroid headed for Earth. That relationship, at first, isn't really romantic, Knightley has explained. “I don't know that their romantic arc actually has much to do with romance in the beginning and more to do with 'It's the end of the world, and we both want to have sex,' " the “Pride and Prejudice” actress told MTV. "I think that was sort of more what the romantic arc was hinged on, and then what it becomes is about friendship,” she continued of the two characters, who don't speak to each other until they're forced to - you know, because the world's about to end. Not that the recently engaged actress had any trouble generating chemistry with Carell. "As far as chemistry goes with Steve, he is one of the loveliest men in the entire world," she said. "He is so funny, and so courteous to everyone. He is a consummate professional. He's just a lovely, lovely man. I defy anybody not to have good chemistry with him." The apocalyptic comedy opens this weekend.

Jennifer AnistonJennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez Sound Off on Paparazzi in New Doc $ellebrity

Jennifer Aniston doesn't like them, and neither does Jennifer Lopez. Sarah Jessica Parker finds them "scary." We're talking about what these A-listers and more have to say about the paparazzi and the tabloid press in $ellebrity, a documentary about celebrity culture that premiered at South by Southwest in March.

Keira KnightleyKeira Knightley engaged to James Righton; male fans crestfallen

British actress Keira Knightley, star of the upcoming film “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World,” is now engaged to James Righton of the rock band Klaxons, her publicist comfirmed Friday. Publicist Sara Keene said Knightley and Righton were not releasing details of the proposal and had no comment on wedding plans, according to the AP. No official representative for the legions of Knightley’s distraught male fans and would-be suitors was immediately available for comment, though many admirers expressed their disappointment on Twitter. Upon learning of the news, Twitter user @oh_its_chris wrote, “I better take my engagement ring back to the shop then,” and user @williamadkins_ wrote, “Keira Knightley is engaged? Damn, thought I had a chance.” But @ianbetteridge put it most succinctly: “NOOOOOOOOO!” @Endless_Blue called Righton a “lucky bastard,” though @ChrisRijanto thought the British keyboard player was more accurately a “lucky dude.” Actor and filmmaker Zach Braff was in tune with the sentiment and tweeted: “Keira Knightley engaged. [Men] around the globe expected to hold a moment of silence” — except instead of using the word “men,” he referred to, ahem, a part of the male anatomy. (Nice use of synecdoche, Zach.) Female Knightley fans on Twitter, meanwhile, tended to offer their congratulations to the happy couple. Go figure.

Keira Knightley deliberately ignores her mobile when it rings, much to the displeasure of her mother.

Keira said: "My mobile phone doesn't really get answered a lot. I don't like talking on the phone, which is a nightmare because my mother does."

Keira, who is currently filming 'The Edge of Love' in Wales with fellow British actress Sienna Miller, once even threw her BlackBerry handset into the sea so nobody could contact her.

She said: "I hurled it in the sea when I was working in the Bahamas doing 'Pirates of the Caribbean', so it's in the ocean there somewhere.

"I didn't mean to. I did actually go back and try and find it, but I was in a fit. I was like, 'I don't want to be contacted. Leave me alone.' "

Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller are the bestest of buddies and have gotten even closer while woriking on The Edge Of Love together.

The beauties love to spend time together, but instead of club-hopping, their favorite thing to do is.to play games, especially backgammon!

According to New Weekly magazine: “Sienna is big on board games and she has got Keira hooked too. They think it’s hilarious because people assume they would be out on the town every night but instead they are cozied up like a couple of old men, getting all competitive over the backgammon board. Sienna says she prefers it to a big celebrity party any day.”

Keira Knightley will appear partially nude for a racy scene in new movie 'Atonement'.

The 'Pride and Prejudice' star will disrobe before plunging into a deep fountain and emerging soaking wet in a clingy slip.

The film's director Joe Wright is quoted by Britain's Daily Express newspaper: "I wanted to cast Keira as a woman, a sexual character. She's only ever played girls before.

"There is a key scene with James McAvoy where she dives into a deep fountain to retrieve a broken vase. Keira emerges from the water and stands on the fountain's edge. It was her idea to stand there for quite so long - but I quite liked it."

Wright also claims the scene had to be edited to protect the 22-year-old actress' modesty.

He said: "There was another shot of her from behind but we left it out as it seemed a bit too rude."

Johnny Depp says kissing Keira Knightley was "awkward" - because she is so much younger than him.

The pair shared a smooch in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest', but Johnny, 43, found it difficult to pucker up to Keira, 22, because of the big age gap between the two stars.

He said in an interview with New magazine: "The smooches are always so awkward, especially because Keira and I have never been in that kind of situation together. She's, like, three and I'm a thousand!

"We've known each other for a few years and suddenly it was, 'Are you ready for this?' And you just do it. It becomes more like a stunt in a way. She was a great sport about it."

Keira Knightley, who has battled rumors of an eating disorder, says she wishes she could put on weight in the right places.

For starters, the Oscar-nominated actress, who stars in the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End, tells Britain's morning show GMTV, in an interview to air Monday: "I would love to have tits!"

Her ideal? "I would love to have Monica Bellucci's figure," Knightley, 22, says of the Italian model and Matrix movies actress. I'm never going to get it. I'm naturally who I am."

Also in the interview she firmly dismisses the idea of ever getting cosmetic surgery to enhance her figure. "'It's far too frightening. I couldn't."

That means that Knightley has no plans to alter her healthy diet and exercise regime in the hopes of packing on the pounds.

"Yes, I'd say that I do like to keep fit, only because I like to be able to run around and do things," she says. "I think that it would be great in the media if we saw a wider range of women of all ages, of all shapes and sizes."

The Pirates Of The Caribbean beauty admits her dedication to acting from an early age meant she had to sacrifice other childhood pursuits - namely, her beloved ballet.

She says, "I adore the ballet, especially Swan Lake. I try to see as many ballets as I can but it's not something I've thought of doing myself."

"You have to start at it very young so I missed out and acting was always my thing."

The stunning actress, who is currently shooting sex scenes with Sienna Miller for new movie 'The Best Time of Our Lives', bares her body so much she is worried there will be a backlash from fans.

Keira Knightley told Total Film magazine: "There are plenty of sex scenes in the book, so the adaptation is true to its source. I think soon, people are going to insist I keep my clothes on!

"I wouldn't do anything I didn't feel completely comfortable with. I suppose I'm very European in my attitude to my body.

"I'm an actress. I have certain tools. One of them is my body. I don't mind stripping off occasionally."