
Age: 41
female
Keira Christina Knightley (born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. She has starred in both independent films and big-budget blockbusters and is particularly noted for her roles in period dramas. Her accolades include two Empire Awards and nominations for two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award and one Laurence Olivier Award. Knightley was appointed an OBE in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to drama and charity. Born in London to actors Will Knightley and Sharman Macdonald, Knightley obtained an agent at age six and initially worked commercials and television films. She appeared as Sabé, Padmé Amidala's handmaiden, in the science fiction blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). Knightley had a break-through role portraying a tomboy footballer in the sports film Bend It Like Beckham (2002). She achieved global stardom with her portrayal of Elizabeth Swann in the fantasy swashbuckler series Pirates of the Caribbean. In the same year, she appeared in the Christmas romantic comedy Love Actually (2003) and was labelled a promising teen star. For her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in the period romance Pride & Prejudice (2005), Knightley was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. At age 20, she became the third-youngest Best Actress nominee at the time. Knightley starred in a series of further period pieces, portraying a complex love interest in Atonement (2007), tastemaker Georgiana Cavendish in The Duchess (2008), and the titular socialite in Anna Karenina (2012). She then forayed into contemporary dramas, appearing as an aspiring musician in Begin Again (2013) and a medical student in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). Knightley returned to historical films by playing cryptoanalyst Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game (2014), earning her a second round of Academy Award and BAFTA nominations, and starred as the eponymous belle époque writer in Colette (2018) to critical acclaim. On stage, Knightley has appeared in two West End productions: The Misanthrope in 2009, which earned her an Olivier Award nomination, and The Children's Hour in 2011. She also starred as the eponymous heroine in the 2015 Broadway production of Thérèse Raquin. Knightley is known for her outspoken stance on social issues, and has worked extensively with Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Comic Relief. She is married to musician James Righton, with whom she has two daughters.

Keira Knightley

Ygraine de Bois
for Ygraine de Bois in The Adventures of Uther & Gaius
Suggested by annelee

A prequel/spinoff to the BBC show Merlin. About the adolescent/young adult years of Uther and Gaius, showing insight into their unconventional friendship and turbulent history. Uther is a prince training to become a king (little does he know, he will one day conquer and rule over Camelot). Gaius is an apprentice at court. The adventures Uther and Gaius go through together mirror Arthur and Merlin's relationship, but they are set in a time when magic freely roams in the realm (pre-The Great Purge) yet anarchy reigns. The overarching irony for the audience is Uther's slow descent into tyranny and Gaius' efforts in trying to convince Uther to be more forgiving and gentle. Maybe Gaius sticks with Uther because he knows the prophecy his future son, Arthur, will hold. Or perhaps it's something else... Over the series, countless misfortunes (and good times) shape the paths of Uther and Gaius as we know it becomes in Merlin.


