Keanu Reeves' Full Biography
Keanu Reeves burst onto the scene with the energetic and hilarious hit comedy Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, playing a teenager who found the ultimate loophole to slacking in history class: a time machine. From there, he’d go on to build a reputation, not only as a talented and capable actor, but as a genuine nice guy.
Not a guy to fall victim to typecasting, Reeves has leapt into roles from romantic leads to action heroes, as well as becoming a successful director and producer.
Reeves is known as one of the most humble, friendly, likable stars in Hollywood, and everyone seems to have a story of a time they were on the receiving end of his kindness or generosity. His own experience, however, hasn’t been all smooth and easy.
Reeves lost a child to stillbirth, only a month before he and her mother expected to welcome the baby into the world, and lost his partner, the child’s mother, to a car accident less than a year and a half later.
Among other things, he’s known as inspirationally resilient, and fans see his strength as inspirational.
Early Life and Education
Keanu Reeves was born on September 2, 1964, in Beirut, Lebanon, to Patricia (née Taylor) and Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr. His mother was British, and his father’s heritage was f Native Hawaiian, Chinese, English, Irish, and Portuguese.
The name Keanu is Hawaiian, and means ‘cool breeze over the mountains.'
Keanu’s parents divorced a few years later, after which the toddler and his mother moved around, first to Sydney, then to New York City. His father, meanwhile, became a significantly less present force in his life. Patricia had a subsequent marriage, also short-lived, to director Paul Aaron, with whom Keanu stayed close after the divorce. She would remarry twice more during his childhood.
At age 9, Reeves got his first taste of acting, in a stage production of ‘Damn Yankees’ in Toronto, and his (former) stepfather helped him make connections for further theater work.
Reeves’ education was through several different schools, in part due to frequent moves, though he described being expelled from the Etobicoke School of the Arts because he was “too rambunctious” and sassy.
At one point he considered a career in ice hockey, but at 15, decided to focus on acting, and at 17, he dropped out of high school, in part due to struggles with dyslexia, according to Medium.
Career
1980s
Reeves appeared in commercials, including one for Coca-Cola, and began to make appearances in television series, such as Hangin’ In, Night Heat, and Comedy Factory. He had roles in some movies, including Teenage Dream and Babes In Toyland.
Then in 1989, he starred as Ted Logan in ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ – the movie was a hit, and so was he.
1990s
Through the 90s, Reeves appeared in dozens of roles, including a Bill & Ted sequel and a cartoon series based on the characters.
A few of these would also be massive hits, even becoming cult classics.
He played Jonathan Harker in ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula,’ alongside Gary Oldman, Wynona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins, and starred in ‘Speed,’ an action flick in which his character had to deal with a bus that would explode if it slowed below 50 miles per hour.
Perhaps the most notable role in this period, though, was as Neo, the star of The Matrix, an intense sci-fi film experimenting with the notions of reality and computer simulation.
2000s
This decade started in struggle for Reeves. His child had been stillborn in December of 1999, and in 2001, his partner, Jennifer Syme, with whom he had just reunited after a split, died in a wreck.
Still, he kept filming, appearing in additional movies in the Matrix series (as well as providing the voice-over for a video game based on the concept).
He starred in sports comedies, including ‘The Replacements’ and ‘Hardball,’ romantic dramas including ‘Sweet November’ and ‘The Lake House,’ and thrillers and supernatural dramas, including ‘The Watcher’ and ‘Constantine.’
2010s
Here, Reeves tries his hand at directing, in 2013 with the martial arts film ‘Man of Tai Chi.’
In 2014, he had his next super hit with ‘John Wick.’
2016 marked a busy year – he appeared in 5 new films, including the comedy ‘Keanu,’ in which he voices a cat of the same name.
2020s
By now, Keanu is the star of several major film franchises – he starred in another John Wick movie in 2019, and a 4th in 2023; a Bill & Ted reprisal in 2021. In the same year, he appeared in yet another Matrix movie, and provided the voice for another game in the series.
Business Ventures
Along with Stephen Hamel Reeves founded a production company called Company Films.
He also started Arch Motorcycle Company, building and customizing motorcycles.
He is one of three founders of X Artists' Books, a publishing company.
Personal Life
Relationships
In 1998, Reeves was dating Jennifer Syme. She was 8 months pregnant with their daughter in December of 1999 when she suffered a miscarriage. In April of 2001, she died in a vehicle wreck.
In 2019, Reeves went public with his relationship with Alexandra Grant, with whom he has co-authored two books, and who is one of the co-owners of his publishing company.
Religion
Reeves is fairly private about his religious beliefs but has indicated that he has faith in a higher power.
Net Worth
Reeves’ net worth is reportedly around $380 million.
Jobs
He continues to appear in movies, with several, including Constantine 2, in production as of this writing.
Activism
Reeves has founded a private cancer foundation, and has volunteered for and supported other cancer charities.
Controversies
Reeves’ movies have been banned from streaming platforms in China over his participation in a benefit for Tibet House.
