Interesting facts about Keanu Reeves

keanu reeves

Keanu Reeves is a Canadian actor, director, producer, and musician.

His full name is Keanu Charles Reeves.

Reeves was born September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon.

His father, Samuel Nowlin Reeves was a geologist while his mother, Patricia Taylor, was a showgirl and costume designer.

Keanu’s father was born in Hawaii, of British, Portuguese, Native Hawaiian, and Chinese ancestry, and Keanu’s mother is originally from England.

Keanu means “cool breeze over the mountains” in Hawaiian.

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After his parents’ marriage dissolved, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister, Kim Reeves, to New York City, then Toronto.

Reeves excelled more in sports than in academics, as his educational development was challenged by dyslexia.

When Reeves was 15, he worked as a production assistant on Aaron’s films.

Reeves dropped out of high school when he was 17. He obtained a green card through his American stepfather and moved to Los Angeles three years later.

After a few stage gigs and a handful of made-for-TV movies, he scored a supporting role in the Rob Lowe hockey flick Youngblood (1986), which was filmed in Canada.

youngblood

His stepfather had convinced Erwin Stoff in advance to be Reeves’s manager and agent. Stoff has remained Reeves’s manager, and has co-produced many of his films.

After a few minor roles, Reeves received a sizeable role in the 1986 drama film River’s Edge, which depicted how a murder affected a group of teens. Following this film’s critical success, he spent the late 1980s appearing in a number of movies aimed at teenage audiences, including Permanent Record, and the unexpectedly successful 1989 comedy, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, along with its 1991 sequel, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.

bill & teds excellent adventure

Then he played a slumming rich boy opposite River Phoenix’s narcoleptic male hustler in Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho (1991).

In 1992, he played Jonathan Harker in the Francis Ford Coppola-directed blockbuster Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Showing his loyalty toward fellow Bill and Ted cohort Winter with a hilarious extended cameo in Freaked (1993) then, Reeves once again teamed with Van Sant for the critically eviscerated Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) before surprising audiences with an unexpectedly complex performance as Siddhartha in Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha (1993).

In 1994, the understated actor became a big-budget action star with the release of Speed.

speed

Then he scored a hit with a romantic lead role in A Walk in the Clouds (1995).

The following years Reeves would alternate between small films, like Feeling Minnesota (1996) and The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997).

There were a couple misfires, too: Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and Chain Reaction (1996).

He made news by refusing to take part in Speed 2: Cruise Control – despite the offered $11 million paycheck.

Reeves finally started to climb out of his career low after starring in the horror-drama The Devil’s Advocate alongside Al Pacino and Charlize Theron. Reeves took a paycut of $1 million for The Devil’s Advocate so that Pacino would be cast.

The 1999 science fiction-action hit The Matrix, a film in which Reeves had a starring role, was a box office success and attracted positive reviews

the matrix

Reeves then appear in a string of smaller films — among them The Replacements (2000), The Watcher (2000), The Gift (2000), Sweet November (2001), and Hardball (2001).

The Matrix Reloaded and  The Matrix Revolutions were both released in 2003. Both films were box office successes and brought Reeves back into the public spotlight.

Then he appeared in the romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give (2003).

In 2005 Reeves starred in the drama fantasy thriller Constantine.

His appearance in A Scanner Darkly (2006), based on the dystopian science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick, received favourable reviews, and The Lake House (2006), his romantic outing with Sandra Bullock, was a success at the box office.

the lake house

In 2008 he starred in two films: Street Kings and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

In 2009 Reeves starred in the drama The Private Life of Pippa Lee.

Reeves acted in several B movies with lead roles as Henry in 2010’s Henry’s Crime and John in 2012’s Generation Um… During that time, Reeves also played Kai in the critically panned 47 Ronin.

Then he appeared in front of the camera in Side by Side (2012), a documentary on celluloid and digital filmmaking, which he also produced.

Reeves’s first directorial film, Man of Tai Chi, premiered in 2013 with showings at the Beijing Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival.

man of tai chi

In 2014, Keanu played the title role in the action revenge film John Wick (2014), which became popular with critics and audiences alike.

In 2016, Reeves appeared in the horror thriller The Neon Demon and the dystopian romance The Bad Batch.

Reeves had a cameo in the action-comedy film Keanu (2016), in which he voiced the eponymous kitten.

Reeves reprised the role in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), taking the well-known character to a better opening weekend and even more enthusiastic reviews than the first go-around.

Keanu Reeves has an estimated net worth of $360 million.

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From 1991, Reeves played bass guitar in the grunge band Dogstar. Dogstar enjoyed modest success, releasing two albums during Reeves’s decade-long run as its bass player. He later played bass for a band called Becky for about a year.

While often described as a Buddhist or atheist, including being mentioned on a “Famous Atheists” list, Reeves is non-religious and has occasionally expressed a belief in God or some other higher power, stating, “I believe in God and the Devil but they don’t have to have pitchforks and a long white beard.”

In early 2005, Reeves’ accomplishments in Hollywood were recognized by the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.

keanu reeves star

In 2010, an image of Reeves became an internet meme after photos of him, seemingly depressed while sitting on a park bench eating alone, were posted to a 4chan forum. The images were soon distributed via several blogs and news sites. These pictures led to the “Keanu is Sad” or “Sad Keanu” meme being spread on internet forums. An unofficial holiday was created when a Facebook fan page declared June 15 as “Cheer-up Keanu Day.”

He owns at least two Norton Commando motorcycles whose engines were available in both 750cc and 850cc capacities, the high-compression version being the Combat Commando.

He speaks French fluently.

Keanu was manager of a pasta shop in Toronto, Ontario.

He had job sharpening ice skates.

His hobbies include horseback riding and surfing (both inspired from movie roles).

Keanu learned over 200 martial arts moves for The Matrix Reloaded (2003).

He was MVP on his high school hockey team, where he was a goalie.

His best friend is his younger sister Kim Reeves.